Palex and Beyond
by Momo The Great
Summary: SEQUEL to The Outsider's View of Palex. Jordan and others are in college now. Will Palex reunite after the pre-graduation break up? And what about Jordan and Beth? Will their relationship last? Not the ending, but the beginning
1. A New Beginning

**A/N: HEY HEY HEY! I'M BACK! AND SO IS THE STORY! So ths is the sequel =) This starts off two months after the last one left off. remember that Jordan is at Florida State University (FSU), Paige at Banting, Alex at Degrassi, and Beth at University of Miami (UM).This chapter is just really an intro. enjoy =)**

**Disclaimer: I own a 2005 ford focus, over 150 cds, a playstation 2, and yo mama. But I do not own Degrassi or its character. =)**

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College, the new frontier. At least in my mind it is. It feels good to be back in Florida, my home state. No longer must I wear a jacket, because the sun shines all the time. Well until it's night time, then the moon shines.

Ugh, what is that damn ringing? Is that a cell phone?

Thump!

I know that was not a pillow that just hit me.

"Jordan," my roommate Amy says. "Pick up your fucking phone."

I search around my desk next to my bed. I finally find my phone. "Hello," I say all tired.

"Jordan, I met someone," the voice on the other end says.

"Who is this?"

"Alex, your best friend!

"Oh my God Alex. Do you know what time it is here? I know you do because Toronto and Florida are in the same time zone my friend."

"Jeez Jordan, I thought you would want to hear about this wonderful moment that just happened in my life. But I guess if you don't then I'll just hang up."

I sigh, knowing what she's doing. I'll fall for her trick. "Fine since I'm awake now anyway, tell me your news."

"I was at the library studying-."

"Wait," I interrupt her. "You were studying?"

"Yes I was studying, I do that now. Anyways, I was studying for a Biology test and this girl walks up to me and asks if she can sit down. So of course I said "yes" because I'm not going to deny a girl a seat, especially a cute girl."

I'm slowing drifting back to sleep as Alex is telling me her story. I feel like she could have waited till the morning to tell me all this.

"So now I have a date with her this weekend," she says excitedly which actually jolts me awake.

"Yay," I say unenthusiastically.

"You don't sound excited for me," Alex says.

I sigh into the phone. "It's 2:30 in the morning and I have a chemistry lab to go to in five hours. Alex, I'm happy for you really I am, but I need to sleep and you're keeping me from my much needed sleep."

"You're right, I'm sorry. I'll talk to you later."

"Goodnight Alex," I shut my phone off and drift back to sleep.

**The Next Morning:  
**_I'll keep you my dirty little secret. Don't tell anyone or you'll be just another regret._

Must find the button. Must find the button! My hand is feeling around my desk trying to find the alarm button on my ipod player. I feel another hand on mine but this hand actually turns the alarm off.  
I look up to see who turned the alarm off. Amy is looking down at me with a toothbrush in her mouth.

"First your cell phone and now your alarm clock," she says. "Not cool."

I throw the covers off my body and try to get ready for school. I'll admit that it's weird being in college and not having anybody from the gang here. It's also weird that I sometimes see people from my old high school here. As I'm about to take a shower I look at the text message on my phone that I've looked at every morning for the past two weeks.  
_  
I'll always love you…_

I close the phone and sigh. I'm torturing myself by keeping this text message and looking at it every morning but I can't erase, I won't erase it.

**After Classes Are Done:  
**Thank God, it's the end of the day. That's the drawback of college, the part they don't show you on TV or in the movies. Most of us forget these things exist, these evil meeting things they call classes.

I get my phone out of my pocket and dial Alex's number. Now that I'm actually awake I'm ready to hear her news. To be honest I actually don't remember that much of what she told me this morning.

"Hello," she answers the phone.

"Hello best friend. How are you?"

"Now you want to talk?" She's giving me attitude and I'm not appreciating it.

"Listen, you called ME at two in the mother effin morning. No one wants to talk that early in the morning."

"Well I did and now I don't want to talk to you." She hangs up the phone.

I'm not calling her back because I know she's just going to call me back later tonight.

"Hey Jordan," a voice says behind me.

I know this voice. Not only did this voice make me cringe back in high school when I lived in Florida but it makes me cringe now. I turn around and behind me is Tammy Mason.

Tammy Mason was that girl in school I didn't like because she was just too perky for me. Imagine Paige during a basketball game cheering and multiply that by ten. Yeah, that's how perky Tammy is and she's like that all the time. She's was the short black perky girl that people thought was either cute or annoying. I always tried to avoid Tammy but it never worked. What made it worse was that in the tenth grade Tammy developed a crush on me that has seemed to not go away. Everyone in school was shocked to find out that Tammy had a crush on me. They weren't shocked that I was the crushee but that Tammy actually liked girls. Imagine the shock at Degrassi when everyone found out Alex and Paige were dating and multiply that by five.

"Hey Tammy," I say. "How are you?" I don't actually care how she is but I'm being polite.

"I'm great now that you're here. How are you?" She's giving me a really weird smile right now and it kind of makes me want to puke.

"I'm good."

She's just standing there, her eyes going up and down scanning my body. I know what she's thinking and I just wanna say so badly that it's NEVER going to happen. No one is speaking and this is starting to become really awkward.

"Umm, yeah, so I have to go and do some homework now." I turn to walk away.

Crazy girl suddenly grabs my hand. "I was thinking," she starts.

"That's never good," I mutter.

"What was that?" she asks.

"Nothing," I say quickly.

"Well I was thinking that if you're not busy this weekend we could maybe catch a movie together."

I wish this girl would just give up. How many times do I have to deny her for her to get the hint? Now I have to think of some excuse. How long has it been since the question was asked? I hope she hasn't noticed that I'm thinking of a reason to get out of this.

"Oh come on Jordan," she says sweetly. "You know I've liked you since high school before you left for Canada. You can't keep denying me. Besides, you don't even have a girlfriend anymore."

I flinch at the mention of no longer having someone. It hurts, like a sharp pain in my heart that won't go away.

"I have a lot of work to do this weekend," I say bitterly. "Maybe next time." I walk away from her. I open my phone and read the text message again and feel a tear slide down my cheek.  
_  
I'll always love you… as a friend._

**OMG, what happened to Jordan and Beth? Hmm….. REVIEWS are really nice. They're like pixie sticks, they make me high and jumpy =)**

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	2. Coming Home

**A/N: Thank you everyone for reading this. I have big plans for this story. and i know many of you are wondering what happened to Beth and Jordan. well you just have to wait and see =)**

**Disclaimer: I own a Good Charlotte cd, OneRepublic cd, and two Paramore cds. I also own Degrassi seasons 4 & 5 on DVD. I DO NOT own Degrassi or its characters thou. =)**

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I've been in college for almost two months now. I've gone to four frat parties, two house parties, and one dorm party. I've been hit on by twenty guys, four of which I went to high school with and they thought that maybe I had "turned straight" while living in Canada, and seven girls. I've been asked out on a date countless times, many from Tammy, and I use to have a really good excuse. I used to be able to say I couldn't because I have a girlfriend but I no longer had the privilege to say that.

I'm going home this weekend for Canadian Thanksgiving. I got permission from the school to miss classes for three days. I can't wait to go back to Canada to be honest and it's sort of weird. I just miss my parents and my friends, and I want to meet Alex's new girlfriend.  
_  
She's the girl all the bad guys want. Yeah, she's the girl all the bad guys want.  
_  
And speaking of Alex, I answer the phone.

"Best friend, I was just thinking about you," I say into the phone.

"Hey, have you heard from Paige lately?" she asks.

"No, I haven't. Is everything ok?" Great, now I'm worried.

"I don't know. She called and left some weird message on my phone the other day. I thinking Banting might be getting to her. So I suggest that when you and her come home this weekend we have some fun."

"Aw, that's nice. You being so concerned about Paige."

"She might be my ex-girlfriend but she's still my friend and I still care about her."

"At least you still care," I mutter.

There's silence on the phone. Great, now I've made the conversation awkward.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Alex asks quietly.

"No, no I don't." I sigh. "I need to get over it."

I close my eyes and breathe slowly. I let the bitterness and sadness go away before I speak again.

"I'll see you on Friday."

"Ok, see ya then." I hang up the phone.

I'm looking up at the sky, staring at the clouds and begin to wonder. How does she feel at this exact same moment?

**Friday Night, Thanksgiving Weekend!!!!:**  
_We have now landed in Toronto, Canada. Thank you for flying with us and enjoy your stay._

A flight from Tallahassee to Toronto is not a short one, believe me. I'm carrying a bag on one shoulder and dragging a roller suitcase behind me. I'm searching the crowd looking for my ride but I can't find my mom anyway.

"Looking for me?" a familiar voice behind me asks. That person does not sound like my mom.

I turn around and Alex is smiling at me.

"Please tell me I'm not taking the bus home."

Alex takes a set o keys from her pocket and swings them in front of my face. "Nope," she says happily.

I raise an eyebrow. "You got a car?"

"Psh, no. Your mom let me borrow the mini-van."

"My mom is letting you borrow the mini-van? She must be high on something."

A sharp pain goes up through my arm. I rub the spot on my arm where Alex just punched me.

"Your mom trusts me thank you. Plus her and Bri Rizzle are busing cleaning the house for you.

"Please don't tell me you have actually started calling my dad that. You're going to make him think he's cool and hip."

"But your dad is cool and hip," Alex says in a serious tone with a straight face.

We're looking at each other now. Her face is about to crack. Alex starts laughing and I follow.

"You looked serious there for a second," I tell her.

We climb into the mini-van and head to my house.

Alex is driving with the radio playing. We're not listening to the radio but using it as background noise.

"So how's the girlfriend?" I ask in a sing-song voice.

"She's good."

"What's her name again?"

Alex sighs and shakes her head. "It's Carla. How many times do I have to tell you?"

I shrug my shoulders. "Sorry, I've just never been good with names."

We stop at a red light. Alex is looking at me with a raised eyebrow.

"You've never been good with names?" she asks in disbelief. "That is bullshit and you know it."

The light turns green and we continue our way to my house.

"I've told you her name about ten times Jordan. I know you, and you are not allowed to dislike my girlfriend without meeting her first."

"I have no idea what you are talk about," I tell her casually.

Alex shakes her head. "You were probably the biggest fan of Palex that I knew." Alex turns and looks at me. She places a hand on my shoulder. "I'm moving on and you need to also."

"I need you to watch the road!" I yell at her pointing forward.

Alex turns her attention back to the road. "Calm down, we're here anyway."

She pulls the car into the driveway and turns it off. I jump out of the car, get on my knees, and kiss the ground.

Alex closes the door and comes over to my side to see what I'm doing.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"I'm kissing the ground because I got here in one piece."

Alex just looks at me and shakes her head. She and I grab my stuff out of the van and go into the house.

"I'M HOME!" I yell into the house so my parents can hear me.

"SHE'S HOME! SHE'S HOME! MY BABY IS HOME!" I hear my mom yelling.

She's running out of the kitchen with an apron on and a giant spoon in one hand. She sees me and yells even louder.

"Brian, our baby is home!"

"Mom stop yelling!" I tell her. "You're blowing out my ear drum."

I hear Alex giggling and I elbow her in the side.

Can't breathe, can't breathe. My mom is hugging me really hard right now. She's crushing my airway.

"Can't…breathe…"

"Mrs. J, I thinking you're crushing Jordan," Alex tells my mom.

My mom lets go of me and I take a deep breath.

"I'm so happy my little princess is home," my mom says and kisses my cheek. She turns to Alex. "And thank you Alex for bringing her home safely."

"Barely," I whisper.

"No problem Mrs. J," Alex says and gives me mom a huge smile.

"Hidy Ho!" Brian yells from the top of the staircase.

I look up and smile. "Hey Dad!"

"Hey hey hey lil J," he says trying to sound cool.

I raise an eyebrow and look at my mom and Alex. The both shrug and shake their heads. Brian can be so weird sometimes.

"I'll take your stuff to your room," Alex says. She grabs my bags and heads upstairs.

Both of my parents are in my face now with questioning eyes.

"Yes I'm passing all my classes," I tell them.

They both exhale the breath they were apparently holding in.

"How's the roommate?" Brian asks.

"She's ok. I don't want to strangle her."

"Well that's always good," my mother says. "How's Beth?"

A pain shoots through my heart. I look down at my feet. "We um…" I'm having a hard time saying it. "We kind of broke up." I just have the urge to cry now.

"Oh honey." My mom pulls me into a hug. "I'm sorry."

"It's ok Mom. I'll survive."

"Don't worry," Brian says. "There are other fish in the sea."

But there's not a single fish like her. "Thanks Dad."

Alex comes back down the stairs. She actually jumps over the last five and lands it but almost falls.

"You ready?" she asks.

"Where are we going?"

"Hello, Paige comes home today also," she says in a 'duh' expression.

"When do I get to meet the girlfriend?"

"Tomorrow, let's go." Alex grabs my hand and is pretty much pulling me out of the house.

"See ya later!" I yell to my parents.

We hop back into the mini-van and make our way to what I'm guessing is Marco and Dylan's place. Alex is whistling a happy tune right now. For someone who has a new girlfriend sure is happy to see her ex. I feel this weekend is going to be very interesting.

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**A/N: for those of you that don't know, i don't post a new chapter till i have three reviews on this chapter =) which is why i posted this chapter today b/c i finally got a 3rd review for chapter one today. p.s.- does anyone have a link where i can watch the full epsiode of Free Fallen' pt. 2? thanks. LEAVE REVIEWS!!!**


	3. Free Fallin'

**A/N: SORRY! I would have updated after I got three reviews but I was still typing this chapter. like this chapter is really long. 11 pages on my Microsoft Word. but here it is =) and question, can anyone tell me how I'm naming my chapters this time around? hmm...**

**Disclaimer: I own four Good Charlotte cds, four New Found Glory cds, three ipods, two ipod players, and one little brother. I however do not own Degrassi or its characters.  
**

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There are two reasons why I do not do art. Number one, I'm a musician, not an artist. Number two, art is messy. Once Alex and I got to Marco and Dylan's she said she wanted to make a sign for Paige. I agreed because Alex played me the message that Paige left her and I decided I wanted to help Paige feel better also. However, if I had known that it was going to be this messy cheering Paige up then I don't think I would have agreed to it.

"Alex, you're getting marker everywhere," I tell her.

"No I'm not, you are."

"You two are acting like children," Marco tells us from the kitchen.

"No one asked you," we tell him at the same time.

I put a cap on a marker and put it down on the table. I throw my hands up in surrender. "I give up," I say out loud.

Alex looks at me with wide eyes. "What!?! We're not even done!"

I shove my hands into her face. "Look at this! I have marker and paint all over my effin hands. I hate arts and crafts." I go to the bathroom to wash my hands.

I hear the door knocking. I go back to the table to clean up. Dylan jumps down the stairs and Alex sort of runs to the door. Wow, someone's excited to see her ex.  
Alex opens the door and there's Paige with an armful of books.

"I cannot believe mom and dad are renovating this weekend," she says and kisses Dylan on the cheek.

"And hello to you to," Alex says. Paige looks at Alex, acknowledging her.

"Mom and dad are renovating every weekend," Dylan tells Paige. Dylan takes Paige's bag and goes into the dining room.

"Hey!" Marco greets Paige. "I missed you." They hug with Paige only using one arm because she's holding her books with the other.

Alex walks back into the dining room while Marco is trying to feed Paige some nasty cookies he made.

"I don't even get a hello," Alex says.

"Um at least she acknowledged you by looking at you," I tell her. "It's like I'm invisible."

"Well I hope she at least likes the sign I made her."

I slap Alex's arm. "Um WE made her that sign." I put my still messy hands in her face. "I still got colors on my hand. It looks like my hands are ready for a pride parade."

We hear Marco saying something about his parents coming over for Thanksgiving dinner along with Paige and Dylan's parents.

"You guys are having a double date with your folks?" Alex asks them.

I laugh at the comment.

"Date?" Dylan asks. "Gosh no," he says while fixing Marco's shirt. "Marco and I are just roommates, right darling?"

"Exactly darling," Marco says. "Come on let's get you some non-homemade snacks." Marco and Dylan walk to the kitchen to try to find some edible food.

Alex holds up the sign for Paige to see. "You like?" she asks Paige. "I made it myself."

I get no credit whatsoever. Typical, just typical.

"Feeling hostile are we?" Paige asks.

"It's not hostility, its affection," Alex says while putting the sign back on the table. "The message you left sounded like the fabulous Banting girl needed a little bit of a cheer up."

"Yeah because the fabulous Banting girl has twelve tons of work to do," Paige says. She emphasizes the work load by raising the books in the air to show us how much homework she has. She then put the books down and sits in the chair.

"Well now we're here," Alex says and puts her arm around my shoulder. Oh so now we're a "we". Alex goes around the table and sits in the chair besides Paige. "And we have some serious catching up to do." Alex closes Paige's book.

"Great," Paige says unenthusiastically. She looks up and sort of finally notices me. "Hey Jordan!" she greets me cheerfully.

I sit down. "Hi Paige. How are you?"

"I'm…" It seems like she's searching for a correct answer. An answer she thinks everyone else wants to hear. "I'm ok. How are you?"

Stressed, sad, emo, heartbroken. Pretty much any adjective that sounds gloomy. "I'm great."

"It must feel good being back home in Florida."

"Yeah, but it's also weird. I mean, I'm seeing people who I haven't seen since I moved and some remember me while others pretend they never knew me. Besides Canada is more of my home now. It's where my parents and friends are. How's Banting going?"

Paige looks like she's pondering the question, like she's not quite sure how to answer it. "It's good, I love it." She's lying. "I love the teachers, students, and just the whole atmosphere there."

Alex and I are looking at each other sending each other the same mental message. Paige is lying. But neither one of us is going to call her out on it.

**Hours Later**:  
Paige, Alex, Marco, and I are sitting in the living room sharing stories and just hanging out. We have soft music playing in the background and are using candles as our light source.

"So then she says, 'I'm good now that you're here' and then she checked me out," I tell them. I'm telling them what happened last week with Tammy and how I was traumatized.

"Oh my God, she did not?" Paige asks while trying to fight the laughter.

"She did, and it was so traumatizing. I thought after I moved she would get on with her life, but she's trying harder now than she did back in high school."

"Maybe she thinks you got hotter while being away," Alex says while sliding her hand down my arm.

I slap her hand away. "Shut up."

Marco still fighting his laughter is trying to tell us something. "Well it can't be worse than the girl who tried to kiss me."

"Oo do tell Hon," Paige says.

"I was at this frat party a couple of weeks ago and of course there was drinking and some girl from my government class came up to me. She was totally plastered and she drags me to this bedroom. I figured that maybe she wanted to talk or something since she knows I'm gay. Next thing I know she throws herself onto me and tries to kiss me."

We all start laughing really hard. My side hurts because of how hard I'm laughing right now.

"I pushed her off of me and got the hell out of there," Marco finishes the story.

"That's like when the guys from my old high school try to hit on me at frat parties," I tell the group. "They'd be like, 'I know you were gay when you lived here in the states, but did Canada turn you straight?'. It's so ridiculous."

"Guys are just morons," Alex says. "That's why I don't date them."

"Um Hon, didn't you date Jay for a good three years?" Paige asks Alex.

I start laughing again. I look at Alex. "She has a point."

Alex playfully pushed me. "Yeah I did," she says. "But then I found something better." She looks at Paige and Paige looks back at her.

Cue the awkward silence. None of us are saying anything.

"Okay I'm baked," Marco announces. "Goodnight ladies."

"Goodnight," Paige and I say.

Marco gets up and goes upstairs.

"It's time for me to go to," I say while stretching. I look at Paige and Alex and it looks like neither one of them wants to leave. I point to Alex. "Call me if you need a ride home." I then look at Paige and point to her. "I'll see you tomorrow."

I walk out of the house and shake my head slightly and smile to myself. Alex has a girlfriend named Carla, but who knows how long that'll last.

**The Next Morning:  
**Ugh, why do I have to be up so early? Damn Marco calling m, saying that he and Dylan needs help cooking dinner. I'm on break and I can't even sleep in. Damn the two gay men that can't cook.

I hear music and I'm not even in the house yet. I enter without knocking because quite frankly I don't care about being polite at the moment. I look around and something catches my eye in the living room.

Do two friends usually sleep on one couch together when they know there's not enough room? I mean when I fall asleep on the couch with my friends we're usually sitting up and not all over each other. But these two, they're just laying there looking so comfy.

The noise finally hits Paige and she's starting to wake up. She rolls to her side which sort of wakes Alex up. Alex grabs a pillow and puts it over her head.

"Special," is all I say.

I walk into the kitchen and Marco and Dylan are eating bacon while looking at cooking books and sort of moving to the music.

"You're gay," I tell them.

They look at each other and back to me.

"And you're a lesbian," Marco says.

"No I mean you're gay. Aren't you suppose to be good at fashion, home decorating, and cooking?"

"Fashion, yes, home décor, maybe, cooking, no." Marco goes to the dining room to get something.

I look at Dylan. "What about you hockey star?" I ask. "Can't you do anything besides hit a puck."

"Nope," Dylan says and takes a bite out of his bacon.

Marco comes back from the dining room with a carton of orange juice in his hands. "I'm pretty sure that you screamed 'I love turkey' or something in the middle of your sleep last night," he tells Dylan and kisses him on the cheek.

"I was having a nightmare, okay? It was a nine foot turkey."

Alex walks into the kitchen and let's just say she looks better after she's taken a shower and has been up for a few hours. "You're such a loud person in the morning," she tells Marco. She goes straight to the fridge.

"Oh good morning," Marco greets Alex.

"Good morning."

"I'm sorry; did you sleep here or just run here?"

"She slept here," I answer the question for her. "She and Paige looked very cozy on the couch." Alex is shooting daggers at me with her eyes.

"You slept here?" Dylan asks Alex. She nods her head yes.

"Where's Paige?" Marco asks. "Alex why'd you sleep over? Did you pass out?"

Alex just shrugs her shoulders and drinks some milk from her glass. "I got really tired and someone left without me."

I throw up my hands in defense. "I told your ass I was leaving. Not my fault."

Paige is walking into the kitchen now with a text book in her arm. "Hey do you think you guys could be a little louder for me?" She turns off the CD player.

"Um how about you chill?" Marco asks and turns the music back on but lowers the volume.

"Paige…" Dylan starts.

Alex and I start to wash dishes as Paige is pacing back and forth with her head in a book and Marco and Dylan are discussing dinner.

"Like don't you use like flour to make gravy?" Marco asks Dylan.

"Well you do, yeah," Dylan responds.

"Okay well then."

"You use flour. You use like chicken broth, which is the juice from the chicken drippings and stuff."

I turn around and see Paige on her laptop now looking something up while Marco and Dylan are starting a list.

"Yeah I know, but make sure you get salt," Marco tells Dylan as he is writing stuff down.

"Yeah okay," Dylan says while nodding his head.

"It's like the star of it."

"Okay it's starred. Now it's on the list."

"You guys, you're ridiculous," Paige says and shows her laptop to the guys. "Please take this."

Dylan points to the laptop. "Now that helps," he says.

The guys copy everything from the laptop and head out. Alex and I are still cleaning the kitchen. The doorbell rings and Paige answers it. We hear the screen door shut which means Paige has gone outside. I turn the music off because it's giving me a headache.

"Is Canadian Thanksgiving like American Thanksgiving?" I ask Alex.

"Isn't this your third Canadian Thanksgiving?"

"Yeah…"

She puts the dish towel on my head, covering my face. "Then you should know the answer to that."

I grab the dish towel and throw it on the counter. The screen door opens and Paige walks in, carrying a box and her mom is behind her.

"This was Gran's so careful," Mrs. Michalchuk is telling Paige. "Don't put it in the micro. Here's the walnut recipe for Dylan." Mrs. Michalchuk is showing Paige a yellow piece of paper. "Remind him just a touch of sage." Mrs. Michalchuk turns to leave.

Paige goes after her. "Oh mom, can you come in for a sec?" Paige asks her mom.

"I'd love to, but the contractors…"

"But your daughter wants to tell you something."

"Can it wait? Sorry. What is it sweetheart?"

I can see Paige slightly shaking her head. "Never mind," she says. "Compared to renovation hell, it's nothing."

"Unlike the contractors, you've never let me down." Mrs. Michalchuk kisses Paige and now she's leaving. We hear the door shut and I focus on Paige.

Something's going on, she doesn't seem ok.

"Does she breathe like the rest of us or does she produce her own air internally like a blowfish?" Alex asks Paige, I'm guessing it's about Paige's mom.  
Paige runs off. "Exactly," Alex says.

"Alex, I think something is wrong with Paige," I voice my concern. We both follow Paige to the bathroom.

The door is locked. Alex knocks on the door.

"Paige, you alright?" Alex asks and we get no response. "Don't make me be nice. Okay you made me. Paige Michalchuk you are the prettiest, smartest, bestest-"

"Why are you putting more pressure on me Alex?" we hear Paige yell through the door. "Why?!"  
Alex and I look at each other. Neither one of us knows what is going on.

"Pressure?" Alex asks. "What are you talking about?"

"Forget it, okay?" Paige is still talking to us through the door. "Leave me alone. Go." She doesn't sound ok and I'm kind of scared.

Alex is looking concerned and I know she is. "Forget what? What's wrong?"

"You don't get it Alex and you never will, so just, just go back to your stupid, pathetic little straight-A high school life with your pathetic imaginary girlfriend, okay? Go away!"

Ouch. I look at Alex and you can see that she is obviously hurt by the words Paige just said.

"Alex," I start quietly. "She didn't mean that."

Alex says nothing and leaves the house.

I knock on the door lightly. "Paige, it's me," I say into the door. "Please open up and let me in."

I hear no movement coming from the bathroom. I go to the kitchen and grab a knife. I mess with the lock until I hear the door click. I open the door and Paige is standing at the sink breathing hard.

"Paige…"

Paige turns around and looks at me.

"It's going to be ok." I go up to her and give her a hug. "Just breathe, just breathe."

After a few minutes we pull apart. Paige seems calmed down a little bit but I'm still worried.

"College is stressful," I tell her.

"I can handle the coursework," Paige tells me, sounding like she's trying to convince me.

"Just because others tell you that you can doesn't mean you should have to."

"I can handle it Jordan, and I am handling it." Paige leaves the bathroom and I'm following her.

"Ok, fine, you can handle it," I tell her. I grab my coat and prepare to leave. "I'll see you at dinner tonight?"

She nods her head yes and starts putting things away in the kitchen.

**Seven Hours Later:**  
I'm searching through my closet right now searching for clothes to wear to the dinner tonight. I want to look nice because it's Thanksgiving and parents will be there. I'm having dinner tonight and Marco and Dylan's and then dinner with my parents tomorrow. Now I know why my family is having dinner early, because I have to leave on Monday. But why are Marco and Dylan having dinner on Saturday night when Thanksgiving is on Monday? I'll have to ask that question later.  
_  
She's the girl all the bad guys want. Yeah, she's the girl all the bad guys want.  
_  
That's Alex calling me. She was also invited to the dinner but after what happened earlier I don't know if she'll come.

"Hello," I say into the phone.

"Hey, can you come to the mall?"

"I'm trying to get ready for the dinner tonight. By the way are you coming?"

"Yes, that's why I need you to come to the mall and get me."

"What the hell are you doing at the mall?"

"Just come get me damn it." _Click_

I should leave her ass at the mall since she just hung up on me. I go downstairs and grab the keys to my car.

**At The Mall**:  
I'm in the food court at the mall now. I'm searching for Alex. The sooner I find her the sooner I can hit her. I think I spot her and she's sitting with a girl I don't recognize. I approach the table and clear my throat so they notice me.

Alex whistles. "You look nice," she tells me.

"Yes, yes I do. Do you know why I look nice?" Alex opens her mouth to answer. "Don't answer that was a rhetorical question." I turn and look at the girl sitting beside Alex. "You must be…"

"This is Carla," Alex says knowing that once again I "forgot" the girl's name.

"Hi," Carla says while holding out her hand for me to shake.

I shake Carla's hand. "Hi, I'm Jordan."

"It's very nice to meet me. I've heard a lot about you."

I raise an eyebrow. "Really?" I ask interested. "Well don't believe everything you hear."

"Don't worry I've heard only good things."

I don't know what to think of this Carla girl. I mean don't get me wrong, she seems very nice but… I don't know. Maybe Alex is right, maybe because I was so pro-Palex I just can't see Alex with anyone but Paige.

I look down at my watch and notice that I'm already late for dinner. "Well, as much as I would love to stay here in the food court and talk I'm already late for Paige's dinner."

"Oh yeah," Alex says. Alex and Carla get up from their seats and I'm noticing Alex is holding a bag. "We should get going. I'd hate for us to be late."

Did she just say 'us'? Do not telling me she's bringing Carla. "Carla, you're coming to dinner?"

"Alex told me I was invited and I would love to meet everyone," Carla says innocently.

I look at Alex and raise my eyebrow. This has bad idea written all over it. "Alright, let's go," I tell them.

**Marco and Dylan's Place:  
**Part of me wants to pull Alex back into the car and ask her what the hell she's doing but another part of me wants to see how all of this will play out. I've always been one to watch drama when I'm not involved in it.

"Alex, you're not even going to knock?" I ask her as I see her about to turn the doorknob.

"No," she says simply. "I don't want anyone to have to get up to answer the door.

Or maybe she just doesn't want Paige to answer the door and then slam it into her face. Alex opens the door and we all enter.

Everyone is already sitting down. Damn, I knew we'd be late. I hate being late for things. Everyone's heads turn and look at us because we're late.

"Are we late?" Alex asks. "We brought buns." She holds up the bag.

"I made buns," Paige says. From the tone of her voice I can already tell there will be tension during this dinner.

"Don't be rude," Mrs. Michalchuk tells Paige. "Hello Alex, hello Jordan." Mrs. Michalchuk turns to look at Dylan. "Dylan?" Indicating to get more chairs.

"Oh yeah I've got some extra chairs in our room, my room!" Dylan says and tried to fix his slip up.

Dylan gets up to get extra chairs as Paige approaches us.

"What are you doing here?" she asks Alex. Obviously she was not expecting Alex but I was totally invited so as soon as Dylan brings down the extra chairs my ass is sitting in one.

"Well you invited me and I wanted to make sure you were okay after your little breakdown." Alex tells Paige. I hang my head down and shake it slightly.

Mrs. Michalchuk turns around and looks at us. "Breakdown?" she asks.

"Alex is a pathological liar," Paige says quickly. Already it's starting to get interesting. Paige walks back to her seat.

"Alex maybe we should just…" Carla is indicating they should leave. I'm not leaving because my ass was invited.

"Hey no arguing over dinner," Mr. Del Rossi says. "Sit. Who's your friend?"

"This is Carla," Alex says and grabs Carla's hand and shows it to everyone to show that they're together. "My imaginary girlfriend."

Mr. Del Rossi spits out his water. Well, it's nice that he just sprayed his spit everywhere. I wonder what Alex will say next.

Carla sort of waves and says, "Hello."

Paige looks a little… I don't know the word, umm upset. This is going to be one awkward dinner.

**During Dinner**:  
Oh boy, the tension in the air is so thick that you could cut it with a knife. I mean everyone is chatting but it's sort of awkward. Of course the adults don't notice anything though. I mean Mr. Del Rossi still doesn't know that Marco and Dylan are together.

"The pomegranate dressing, just exquisite," Mrs. Michalchuk says, once again complimenting Paige. "Paige you could have got a scholarship for chef school too."

"Mom," Paige says. I think she's trying to tell her mom to shut up.

"Oh and Dylan has had offers recently to play pro hockey in Switzerland," Mr. Michalchuk says. As you can tell the Michalchuk parents like to brag about their kids.

"Once the visa comes through," Dylan says.

"Yeah, don't remind me," Marco replies. You can tell Marco hates the thought of Dylan leaving.

"Did you know Carla's an honors grad student and she's captain of the Toronto U distance running team," Alex says suddenly.

Carla and I both look at Alex. Carla's eyes are telling her to shut up and my eyes are saying 'What the fuck?'

"I'll clear the salad plates," Paige says. Paige and Marco get up and begin to collect everyone's plates.

"Banting wanted Paige for their Power Squad," Mrs. Michalchuk tells us. "They called it cheerleading when I was captain, but she chose to focus on academics."

"Mom please," Paige tells her mother. She's clearly telling her mom to shut up.

"Once Paige gets her honors degree, the Banting MBA program…"

"Mom."

"Sweetie tell everyone how Banting has the most prestigious program."

"Why don't we talk about something else?"

"Fine. Oh don't you have some sort of announcement?"

Alex turns around and looks at Paige with a curious smile. Paige looks at everyone and it looks like she's not sure what to say.

"Yes," Paige finally responds. "The turkey's ready."

"She's so modest."

Alex and I are both looking at Paige while she goes to the kitchen. Once again there is an awkward silence.

"I've joined a band," I say suddenly trying to break the silence. Now everyone is looking at me, great. "Yeah, I'm lead guitarist and lead vocals. We call ourselves 'Cool Losers Wear Shades'." I'm just nodding my head trying to seem serious. "I mean right now we just lost our drummer due to a skateboarding accident but we're using a drum machine." I take a sip of my water to shut up.

"How nice," Mrs. Michalchuk says uninterested but trying to seem polite.

I see Paige walking back with the turkey. Thank God, because I think everyone wanted me to continue with my fake band story.

"Here it is!" Paige says excitedly. "Complete with traditional Michalchuk family walnut stuffing." She places the turkey down and everyone is ooing and awing.

"Looks delicious," Mr. Del Rossi says while stuffing his napkin down his shirt. You can already start to see drool coming out of his mouth. Ewe.

"Paige let's hear your news," Mrs. Michalchuk says. She's really pushing to hear this news.

"Really it's more of a dessert and coffee kind of thing," Paige says, obviously not wanting to talk about it.

"Deans list? A bursary? New boyfriend hmm?" I wish this woman would stop guessing.

I'm looking at Alex and she's wearing some kind of a smirk on her face. She's actually enjoying this.

"Who wants white and who wants dark?" Paige asks, referring to the turkey.

"I'll take white," Mr. Del Rossi tells her. He would be the first one to say something.

Paige is cutting into the turkey and… HOLY CRAP! No like seriously, it looks like crap just exploded on Paige. Make that a turkey full of crap.

Everyone is gasping but then you hear Alex's loud laughter. Mrs. Del Rossi is smiling and Carla is trying to hide her smile. Mrs. Michalchuk looks mortified and poor Paige… I can't even describe the words of her face expression right now.

"I told you not to overstuff the bird," Dylan says.

"Way to be a good big bro Dylan," I whisper.

Paige runs up the stairs while Alex is still laughing.

"Traditional Michalchuk walnut stuffing," Dylan says.

I kick Alex is the shin to shut her up and now she's giving me a dirty look.  
"We still have Brussels sprouts," Alex says. "Yummy."

"And carrots."

I'm just shaking my head now. Happy Canadian Thanksgiving.

**After Dinner:**  
So dinner ended with turkey and helping clean up the mess. Poor Paige left after dinner. Marco told us that she's going back to school. Alex and I just dropped Carla off and now I'm driving Alex back to her place.

"That wasn't very nice of you back there," I tell Alex.

"What did I do this time?"

"Number one, you just appear at the dinner with a guest without any warning. Number two, you just laughed at Paige after the turkey exploded all over her."

"Hey, I was not the only one laughing.

"But you were laughing the loudest and you're supposed to be her friend Alex."

I stop the car because we've arrived at Alex's apartment.

Alex turns toward me. "I am her friend. You have to admit that turkey explosion was funny and I was trying to prove to Paige that I didn't have an imaginary girlfriend. Besides, what kind of friend was  
she being to me earlier when she slammed the door in my face and called my life pathetic."

"Sometimes it's not about you Alex!" I can tell by Alex's face expression that what I just said surprised her. "Alex, we have no idea what the hell is going on in Paige's life right now at school. She's probably stressed, you and I both know Paige doesn't handle stress very well."

"We're all stressed Jordan!"

"You're stressed?!? Alex, you're repeating classes at Degrassi!" Great, now she's hurt. I lower my voice and calm down. "Listen, I'm proud of you that you decided to go back to Degrassi and raise your grades but college is a whole different ball field. Think about it. Everyone is expecting Paige to be some sort of greatness. College is already stressful enough but add a mother like the one Paige has and her expectations and it's almost unbearable."

Alex says and runs her hands through her hair.

"All I'm saying is that you have to cut Paige some slack and be there for her right now."

"Ok fine," Alex says quietly.

"And do not just flaunt your girlfriend around. Because not only is that mean to Paige but that is also mean to me."

Alex is looking at me with apologetic eyes. "I'm really sorry Jordan."

I push her in a playful manner. "It's ok. You're still coming to my place for dinner tomorrow right?"

"Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow." Alex gets out of the car and goes into her apartment building.

I'm driving home now just thinking. I'm afraid if Paige doesn't become less stress soon then something bad is going to happen. Hopefully not too bad though.

* * *

**A/N: So fo real fo real, I need someone to like either send me Free Fallin part 2 or send me a link the shows the whole episode,. cuz right now the link i have only shows the first 13 minutes so.... HELP!**


	4. Anyone But You

**A/N: So I didn't really feel like writing this chapter since Thanksgiving Break was over for Jordan, so this chapter is a filler. ENJOY! =) oh and thanks everyone who sent me links to Free Fallin part 2. now i need the link to the full episode to LoveMy Way cuz the one I have cut off the last 10 minutes. hehe thnks =)**

**Disclaimer: I own a laptop, a myspace account, and a very smart & witty brain. I however do not own degrassi or its characters =)**

* * *

So I am now back at school in Florida. Thanksgiving dinner at my house went great and very peaceful. Well it was peaceful until Alex and I got into an argument about who would get the last slice of pie. Brian settled it for us, by eating the last slice himself.

Apparently after I left Paige returned to Toronto for some strange reason. Alex called me and told me about it. She doesn't know why Paige is back in town but she thinks something is up. I KNOW something is up, just not what exactly.  
_  
She's the girl all the bad guys want. Yeah, she's the girl all the bad guys want.  
_  
I answer my phone before it wakes up my roommate. "I'm glad you called at a reasonable time this time," I say into the phone. It's only 11:30 pm which is a reasonable time in college world.

"Does your best friend usually kiss you out of nowhere and then tell you it was a good night kiss?" Alex asks.

"Well have you ever kissed me out of nowhere and said it was a good night kiss?"

"No," Alex pauses for a minute. "Well there was that July 4th night when we got really drunk…"

"Shh," I interrupt her, not wanting to relive that memory. "Like you said, I was drunk and celebrating the birth of America. Besides, I have a feeling this is not the same situation."

"Out of nowhere she grabbed my face and kissed me."

"Then why are you dating her?" I'm slightly confused right now.

"What? I'm not dating her dumb ass."

"You and Carla broke up? When did this happen?"

Alex groans in frustration. "Paige kissed me."

Now that makes sense. "Oh. You should have said that earlier. Now why did Paige kiss you?"

"I don't know! That's why I'm asking you!"

"There is no need to shout," I tell her. "Maybe she still has feelings for you and wants to jump your bones." I start laughing.

"If you're not going to take this seriously…"

My laughter subsides. "I'm sorry but I'm not going to pretend I'm surprised that something like this happened."

"But I have a girlfriend."

"Didn't you say that Paige kissed you? You didn't kiss Paige, there's an actual difference."

"Yeah, I mean I was caught off guard and had my eyes open."

"You had your eyes open? What the hell Alex."

"I was caught off guard!"

"Well if you didn't close your eyes then I'm guessing you also didn't kiss her back. So I don't understand what the big deal is. Maybe, just maybe, you're making this a bigger deal than what it really is."

"Or maybe this is a big deal and you're just not seeing it."

"It's a big deal because it's you and Paige. If this was anybody else who had kissed you then you wouldn't be calling me but you did call me and only because it's Paige who kissed you. Listen, you have a girlfriend and if Paige says it was just a good-night kiss then, pretend it was just a good-night kiss. Speaking of which, good-night Alex."

Alex sighs loudly. "Good-night," she says.

I close my phone. Those two will be the death of me even though I'm all the way in Florida.

**Next Day:**  
I'm sitting in the Figg Player's Dining Room right now with some hall mates. The topic of discussion today is relationships, because for some reason God has decided to punish me.

"Boys are just stupid," my roommate Amy says.

"Then why do you date them?" I ask her.

"I might hate boys but I love penis."

"Ewe!" Everyone at the table starts laughing.

"Jordan have you even tried being with a guy?" my hall mate Erin asks.

"Have you ever tried being with a girl?" I ask her back.

"Why Jordan, are you asking me out?" Erin raises an eyebrow.

I take a sip of my Sprite and shake my head. "You're too wild for me."

Erin slides her hand up and down my arm in a seductive manner. "You could try to tame me."

"Alright, you're done."

The rest of the table starts talking about guys again and I just eat my food. I love when straight girls complain about guys and the stuff guys do yet they all keep dating guys. I don't understand what  
makes a guy attractive anyway I mean most of them aren't that bright and they tend to keep their feelings to themselves all the time, although that's probably nice sometimes.

A weird feeling just overcame me. It feels like someone is watching me and it's a creepy watching. I turn my head slightly and look.

"Jesus Christ," I say in surprise.

"What?" Amy asks.

"That," I tell the table and point to the weirdo smiling and waving at me. God damn Tammy Mason and her craziness.

"Who's that?" Erin asks.

"Tammy Mason. Weird perky girl who won't leave me the hell alone. That girl has had a crush on me ever since the tenth grade and for some reason she thinks she has a chance with me which she doesn't and I've made it very clear."

"Well maybe you should give her a chance," Amy says.

"What?!? No, no, and no."

"Jordan, you need to get your ass out there and start dating."

"I will date anyone but her."

"Yeah, ok. Then why haven't you?"

"I just haven't found the right girl yet. Now enough about me and let me hear more about these guy problems all of you seem to be having."

I look at Tammy's table again and that girl is still looking at me. That is one creepy girl.

**Later That Night:**  
_She's the girl all the bad guys want. Yeah, she's the girl all the bad guys want._

Just as I'm about to go to sleep Alex calls. Well at least she didn't call while I was sleeping. I flip open my phone.

"Let me guess," I say before she can say anything. "Paige kissed you again."

"No but she did do something," Alex says angrily. I have a feeling this is not going to be a happy phone conversation.

"What'd she do this time?"

"She's been lying to me Jordan, to all of us."

"About…"

"School! She came to karaoke night tonight telling us she got some big mid-semester scholarship to Toronto U, which I knew was complete bullshit. Then today in her car I found exam booklets with D's and F's on them and a term paper with a 0."

"Alright, calm down Alex."

"No Jordan! She lied to me. To me of all people!"

"Well have you spoken to her about it?"

"No."

"Then what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to call her mom and tell her what I saw. I think she deserves to know what's going on in Paige's life."

"Do what you have to do. I'll talk to you later."

"Good-night." Click.

I knew something was going on with Paige and school but I didn't know it was to this extent. Sometimes a person has to fail before they can succeed.

**Next Day:  
**_She's the girl all the bad guys want. Yeah, she's the girl all the bad guys want.  
_  
"Yo," I answer the phone.

"Hey."

"How'd everything turn out?"

"Well she told her mom everything and she's staying in Toronto. She's not really sure what she's going to do yet though."

"Well I'm glad the truth came out."

"Yeah, me too. You're not flunking out of school are you."

I laugh at the idea of it. "No, I'm actually doing quite well. And hey, in four weeks I'll be home for thanksgiving break."

"Oo can't wait. I'll talk to you later."

"Laters."

I hang up the phone. Paige is back in Toronto now. Hmm… I wonder how long this relationship between Carla and Alex will last now.

* * *

**A/N: So someone guessed how I'm naming my chapter this time aound but the guess was wrong. guess again peeps!**


	5. Give Me A Sign

**A/N: HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEY!! I know it's been to weeks. Well good news peoples!! I finally bought season 6 on DVD! WOO! So i think all of you will like this chapter. It tookme four hours to write. So u better like it =) also I'm surprise no one has caught how I'm naming my chapters this time around. There is a pattern and there's clues in the in the disclaimers =) enjoy the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I own Green Day poster, a ticket stub from The All-American Rejects concert, an old cd player, and the whole new Breaking Benjamin cd on my ipod, I however DO NOT own Degrassi or its characters.**

* * *

Thanksgiving break, a weeklong break from school. Of course I'm spending the week in Canada with my family and friends. Although everyone else will be working and in school, I'm sure I'll be able to find something to do.

I'm in my room right now reading a book. It's Saturday and there's a party at Marco and Dylan's place tonight because Dylan is leaving for Switzerland in a couple of days. I'm waiting for Alex to call me so I can pick her up.

I'm starting to wonder since it's Thanksgiving break if Beth is also coming home. I mean not all schools get week long breaks and even then people who tend to live very far don't go home. Lucky for me not only do my parents miss me very much but they're also loaded so they can afford to fly me home.  
_  
She's the girl all the bad guys want. Yeah, she's the girl all the bad guys want.  
_  
I flip my phone open. "Hello," I answer.

"Hey, I'm ready," Alex tells me.

"On my way." I close the phone and head downstairs.

"Jordan, sweetie we need to speak to you," my mom says as soon as I'm downstairs.

"Mom can we talk later? I'm already late to the party." I look at my parents sitting together at the kitchen counter and my mom has a carton of ice cream in front of her. Is she really eating that whole carton herself?

"Yeah, sure honey."

I walk to the kitchen and give both my parents a hug and kisses on the cheeks. I look at Brian. "Dad, don't let mom eat that whole carton by herself." I leave the house. I wonder what's going on.

Dylan's Party:  
I must say, this is quite a gathering at the Del Rossi/ Michalchuk manor. I'm glad Dylan got into a professional hockey league. Sure it's not the NHL but at least it's something.

"What are you thinking about?" Alex asks me.

"Hockey. Do you think I could play?"

"No," she says instantly.

"Well jeez, thanks for thinking about it."

I'm looking around just watching people. Seems like Ellie and Jesse are having a fight, as usual apprently. I always thought he was a douche bag and that Ellie could do better. Now I see Paige is walking toward us. I'm so excited. Whenever Alex and Paige interact it's always so interesting.

"So you're moving in, eh?" Alex asks Paige as Paige sets the tray of food down.

"A funky downtown address to go with my hopefully new job," Paige says. "Chin, chin." We all click our glasses together. "So where is the lovely Carla tonight?"

Oh, that's who's missing! Obviously I don't care too much for the girl because I've been home all day and with Alex most of the time and haven't even asked about the girl once.

"Pottery class," Alex says.

Paige and I both have the same facial expression right now. Oo, Alex's girlfriend is so lame.

"Yeah my girlfriend ditched me to make a bowl."

"Why would she want to make a bowl when she could hang out with her hot girlfriend and her hot girlfriend's cool best friend?" I ask.

"Are you talking about you or Paige?" Alex asks.

"Oh, ouch," I say while I place my hand over my heart.

"Well at least you have somebody," Paige tells Alex. "I however have been walking through a romantic desert and my feet are tired."

I slightly raise my glass. "Same here," I mutter so no one can hear me.

"Well don't look at me to rub them," Alex says to Paige. "But I'm sure we can find a hot guy or two to warm up your cool autumn nights."

"Well cheers to that dear cupid." Alex and Paige click glasses again.

Now Paige is looking at someone with interest in her eyes. I turn and look in the direction she's looking in. Spinner, really? Didn't we already go down that road, once, maybe twice? They say if you don't learn then history repeats itself. Well I guess this history has to keep repeating itself.

**Next Day: Sunday Afternoon****  
**So here's a little fun fact about me. Before I moved to Canada I use to be really big into street hockey. I loved the physical contact of the sport and being able to push people without getting into trouble. Today's lesson of the day is to prove Alex wrong.

Alex and I are at the park right now on an empty basketball court. I have two guys setting up hockey goals and I throw a pair of rollerblades at Alex.

"What are these for?" she asks, holding them up.

"I know you're still at Degrassi but you're not stupid. They are rollerblades and they're used for skating."

"I know that. But why do we have them?"

I put my rollerblades on and start skating circles around Alex. "We're gonna have some fun." I smile at Alex.

"Ok, whatever." She rolls her eyes and starts putting the blades on at I'm putting on safety pads.

"You're gonna want to wear the safety equipment also."

Once Alex is suited up I throw her a hockey stick. She's looking at me with a raised eyebrow.

"Really?" she asks.

"Yes, really." We skate to the center of the court and wait for our "referee" to drop the tennis ball.

"You do know I play lacrosse right?" Alex asks me.

"You do know I use to be in a little league for street hockey right?"

The whistle blows and the ball drops. I immediately push Alex and skate my way to her goal. I can hear her coming after to me but I know it's already too late for her. I raise my stick and hit the ball. GOAL!

"That's 1 to 0," I tell her.

"What the hell?"

After Ten Minute of Intense Playing:  
"I believe that's 6 to 0," I say out loud.

"What the fuck Jordan?!?"

Alex is a little mad that I'm beat her. "You said I couldn't play hockey so I had to prove you wrong."

"How was I supposed to know you were the Dylan Michalchuk of street hockey?"

"There's a trophy shelf of my hockey trophies in the downstairs hallway of my house."

"I thought those were basketball trophies."

"Basketball and hockey trophies don't even look alike! The basketball is on top and the hockey on the bottom."

Alex throws down the stick in frustration. "No fair!"

"Get over it and let's go." We grab all the stuff and head to my house.

**Next Day: Monday****  
**Alex and I are walking to the mall now. We're heading to the movie concession stand to meet up with Paige.

"All I'm saying is that it's weird you and Carla haven't been spending more time together," I tell her.

"And all I'M saying is that it's none of your business."

I throw my hands up into the air. "Of course it's my business! We're best friends! We are each other's business!"

Alex just looks at me and shakes her head. We spot Paige and go sit where's she sitting.

"What were you two talking about back there?" Paige asks us. "Hon, you looked crazy throwing you hands in the air."

I open my mouth to speak. "Nothing," Alex says quickly.

I'm giving Alex a dark look now. "I can speak for myself thank you." I turn and look at Paige. "Nothing."

Paige is looking back and forth between Alex and me. "Ok," she says.

Alex and Paige order drinks. I order nothing because I don't want anything.

"So I hope you're ready," Alex says to Paige. "So I hope you're ready. Today's the first episode of Project Paige."

"My life is a reality TV show?" Paige asks.

"In your case it's The Bachelorette and we're looking for guys eh, not the other flavor."

"Guys will do thank you."

To be honest, I didn't think Paige would date another girl besides Alex.

"I like them cute, funny, worldly. Oh and to fill out a vintage rock tee just so."

"Sounds delish…in a hetero kind of way.

"That's what I look for in a girl," I tell them. Now they're both looking at me. "I mean except for the vintage rock tee part. I rather not date a girl with a bunch of muscles. She might be on steroids or something."

"Anyways!" Alex says and turns her attention back to Paige. "Thing is Paige you've got to keep it cas'. Don't get attached to anyone. Play the field. Be a pimp."

"Have tons of sex with people," I say nonchalant.

Alex turns to me. "No more talking for you," she tells me.

I cross my arms and give her a dirty look.

"Oh I am the maddest of pimps and here comes my date," Paige says, continuing where the regular conversation left off. Paige points in a direction and Alex and I both look.  
Spinner, really? We're going to go there again?

"Spinner!" Alex says in disbelief. "Cute, funny…worldly?"

"Worldly with the inside of Kwan's classroom," I say quietly.

"Lose the lesbian filter hon. He is cute and funny. It's two out of three. Give my best to dear Carla."

Paige gets up and walks to Spinner and it looks like Alex is looking after her longing. I wave a hand in her face. She pushes me hand away.

"Friends don't look at other friends like that," I tell her.

Alex looks at me with annoyance in her eyes. "Didn't I tell you to be quiet?" She gets up and is walking away from me.

"Didn't I tell you to be quiet?" I say, mimicking her. I know what I saw, and what I saw was not a friendly look.

**Next Day: Tuesday****  
**Chillin in the room, ch- ch- chillin in the room. Obviously I'm chillin in my room. There's nothing to do when parents are at work and friends are also at work or at school. I mean I could visit Degrassi but to be honest I don't feel like getting out of my room. I guess I could walk to the park. But it's cold outside, but I'm also gaining weight. Alright, I'll flip a coin, heads I'll walk my ass to the park and then tales I'll stay here and do nothing.

I grab a penny from my dresser. Alright here it goes.

The penny is flipping into the air and I have to admit that this is the most excitement I've had all day. The penny lands on the floor. Guess I need to get dressed.

Park:  
I forgot how good the Canadian air is and how beautiful the park is. Although the trees are completely barren there's still beauty in the park. Little kids are running around while their moms are watching them with smiles on their faces. I smile to myself thinking back to the summer.

_Beth and I are walking through the park holding hands, enjoying the sun. Beth poinst out a little boy running around._

"I can't wait to have kids," she tells me.

"Me either. I love kids."

"How many do you want?"

I stop walking and place my arms around her hips. "Depends, how many do you want?"

"Three," she tells me.

"Well three it is then." I place a light kiss on her lips.

"Who said I wanted kids with you?"

"Oo," I say dramatically and place a hand over my heart. "That hurts."

Beth kisses me. "You know I'm joking. I would love to have little Jordans running around the place."

"And I would love having little Beths running around."

Beth and I kiss lovingly, forgetting where we are.

I pull away. "I called dibs on naming the first two," I say quickly.

"Ok, but they have to have four names and my last name comes first in the hyphen."

I hold out my hand. "Deal." And we shake to seal the deal.

I look out at the swings seeing what looks like a teenager swinger. I look closer to see if I know the person. My breath catches in my throat and I can't breathe. I turn and walk away quickly. I never going to come back here. I guess she decided to come home.

**Next Day- Wednesday**:  
Alex and I are at the Squatch Designs store right now. So early in the morning for me but I'm surviving. Paige is cleaning the place, Alex is doing school work, and I'm just sitting here taking up space. I haven't told anyone about what happened at the park yesterday. I'd just rather not discuss it.

"So then I say "Cas' is the way we rock it."," Paige tells us. She's telling us about what happened with Spinner on Monday.

Alex and I start laughing. "You said that without laughing?" Alex asks in between laughs.

"The moment overtook. It just felt so good to mack on Spinner with impunity."

I make a gag face. The image of anyone making out with Spinner makes me want to gag.

"I have class with him in 20 minutes. I'll try to ignore his big, dumb grinning face."

The door opens and my "Douche Bag" alert is going off. Oh look, Jesse's here. I guess that's why it went off.

"Jesse! Hey!" Paige greets excitedly.

Jesse smiles his douche bag smile. "Hey, greets back.

I feel like that smile is only for Paige.

Jesse slightly shakes his head, remembering why he's here. "Uh latest edition. Ad's on page 3 and I asked Nina to write a piece on you guys for her fashion column." He hands Paige the newspaper.

"This is wow! Thank you so much."

"Ya know what's wow?" I whisper to Alex. "His douche bag smile." Alex is laughing softly now to my joke.

"The Core and Squatch Designs could have a future together in business."

It sounded like he took a slight pause after he said "together". I think Alex noticed also. She starts tapping her pen impatiently and annoyingly. Paige and Jesse both take notice.

"Alex!" Paige says. "Um, you know Jesse right?" Once again, I am ignored. Whatever, I'm going to take a nap.

"Yeah you're Ellie's boyfriend," Alex says.

"Was," he says quickly. "Ellie didn't tell you we broke up?" I feel like he's just throwing that out there, hoping someone will catch it.

"She keeps to herself a lot," Paige says. I feel like she's about to catch whatever he's throwing.

"Yeah she's like that. Well I've got to run. Interviewing a friend's band." Did he just try to sound cool?

"What did Ellie see in this guy?" I whisper.

"Who knows," Alex whispers back.

"How journalist of you," Paige says. "What are they like?"

"Kind of an alt-country vibe. Yeah they're playing tonight, campus club. If you're into it, you should come."

Paige is nodding her head and now the douche bag is leaving. He's gone and now Paige is smiling and making some kind of squealing noise. Alex just looks at her with a small smile on her face. Jesse threw it out there and Paige caught it. Oh boy.

**Later that Afternoon:**  
Alex and I and are in my room at the moment. Alex is doing homework while I'm lying across my bed and throwing a tennis ball into the air and catching it.

"I don't understand why Paige would want to date a douche bag like him," I tell her.

"And I don't understand why you care so much," Alex says in a bored tone, focusing on her homework.

"I don't understand why you DON'T care as much as I do."

I hear Alex close her book shut and her head is now next to mine. "Because I know it's totally casual and nothing will come of it."

"You also thought you were straight and that a nucleus was a type of nuclear bomb and not the brain of an animal and plant cell. Let's face it, you're not always right my friend."

"Well I'm right about this and FYI, the nucleus is the control center of all eukaryote cells."

"Jeez, the girl gets some A+'s in Biology and all the sudden she's Miss Scientist."

"The point is I'm right, all of this is casual and means nothing to Paige."

I sit up and start eyeing Alex. "Are you hoping all of this will be casual or just stating it because you're a good friend."

"What are you getting at?" she asks me suspiciously.

I start shaking my head. "Nothing," I tell her.

I don't think Alex suggesting this whole "cas'" is just for Paige's benefit. All I'm saying is the heart wants the heart wants, and the heart can't lie.

**Next Day- Thursday:  
**I'm home for a week and all I've done so far is hang out in my room, see the love of my life at the park, and hang out at Squatch Designs. And where am I now? At Squatch Designs. I am one sad college kid.

Alex is in the dressing room at the moment while Paige is helping out customers.

"Thank you," Paige says to the two girls as they're both leaving with bags in their hands.

Alex pops her head through the dressing room curtains. "Tell me again why you need me to model at the dumb fair."

"Because Marco looks lousy in pink," Paige tells her and hands her a pink sweat suit. She closes the curtains as Alex ducks back in.

"So uh you and Jesse dancing up a storm last night," Alex says. "Did it end there?"

"There was coffee at his place. Had an amazing convo…and then some other stuff."

"Ewe," I say in respond to what Paige just said. Great, now she's giving me a look like I'm acting immature. "That's right," I tell her. "I'm ewing your straight "other stuff"."

Alex comes out of the dressing room and she's completely in pink. Never thought I would see the day of Alex being in pink.

"And bachelor #1 knows about bachelor #2, IE Spinner?" Alex asks Paige.

Paige grabs Alex and takes her to the mirror. "Bachelors 1 and 2 both know the score. As a matter of fact, I am seeing them both tonight."

"Oo ménage Paige."

"Oo slutty Paige," I say quietly.

"Not quite," Paige says. "Spinner is my 7:00 and Jesse's my 9." Paige is messing with the outfit so it'll fit Alex better.

Alex sort of grabs Paige's hands and turns around. "Hey you uh wanna come to my place when you're done for a post-game wrap-up?" she asks her. "We got the good ice cream."

Besides the ice cream part that sounded sort of sexual. Anyone else notice the sexual meaning behind that stuff?

"Sure hon. Love to."

Paige turns Alex back around and now they're both looking in the mirror. Paige's hands are on Alex's arms and now she's running her hand through Alex's hair. She rests her head on Alex's shoulders.

"Pretty in pink," Paige says. "Just like the movie."

And now Paige is running her hands down Alex's arms but slowly. I feel like I'm witnessing a pre-make out moment right now. It's like Paige can't stop touching Alex. This has to be the weirdest, yet hottest thing I've ever seen. Yeah, nothing is going on between them. Soon the truth will be revealed.

**Next Day- Friday  
**_She's the girl all the bad guys want. Yeah, she's the girl all the bad guys want._Ugh, I need to remember to put my phone on vibrate so that shit won't wait me up. I look at the clock. 1: 15 am, it reads. Oh my God, Alex better be in trouble or something.

I flip open my phone. "I'm trying to sleep."

"Has Paige called you?"

"What? No. Is that why you're calling me?"

"Yeah, she was suppose to come over around 10 but she's not here and she hasn't called me so I figured that maybe she called you."

"No, she's hasn't called. And new rule, from now on you only call me this late when there's an effin emergency. Goodnight." I flip my phone shut and drift off to sleep.

That Afternoon at Fashion Show:  
It's a Friday and I'm at the mall, but instead of shopping like any other American on Black Friday, I'm here helping set up the booth for Squatch Designs. Oh here's Alex, maybe she'll brighten up my day. Actually by the look on her face I feel like my day is about to get more interesting.

"Afternoon Miss Nuñez," Paige greets Alex. I have decided right now to say absolutely nothing. "Ready to rock the catwalk with insouciant smile?"

"Yeah whatever," Alex says in an annoyed tone. "Let's just get it over with."

"Um is it everyone hates Paige day?"

"Maybe seeing it was ditch Alex and don't even call her last night." There it is!

"Hon, I forgot. I'm sorry." Paige turns attention to Marco. "Babe could you just straighten our sign a bit?"

"Don't tell me your 9:00 with Jesse became a 10, then an 11, 12, 1…" Alex is continuing the conversation.

"I said I'm sorry. It's just I think things are becoming a bit more than cas' with Jesse. He's kind of special."

I throw the shirt I was holding down on the table and throw my hands up in the air. What the hell do girls see in this douche bag?!? Why is it so easy for him to get a girl and all I get is some crazy chick that still has a crush on me from three years ago?

"Rush into stuff much? Pathetic Paige. Pathetic." Alex walks off.

Marco and Paige look at each other. And now they're looking at me. I hate it when people look at me after Alex walks away from something.

"Let's just say it is not ok for her to call me at 1:15 in the morning. I need sleep too ya know!" And with that I'm walking away, chasing after Alex of course.

I sit down at the table Alex decided to take refugee at.

"Ya know, every time you leave a conversation like that and I'm there people instantly look at me waiting for me to explain your crazy, misunderstood behavior," I tell her.

"Well you are my best friend," she tells me. "Isn't that part of your job?"

"No. Part of my job is finding out what's going on with you and help you solve your internal conflicts. Now what's wrong."

"She just dropped her plans with me for some guy."

"Are you really that surprised?" I ask seriously. "It is Paige we're talking about."

"Yeah but I would expect that from the old Paige, the Paige that acted that way before we dated. We have history together. She should be dropping guys to hang out with me."

Part of me can't believe what I'm hearing and another part of me isn't that surprised. "If you have feelings for Paige you need to tell her. She can't read minds."

Alex looks at me. "How many times do I have to tell you I don't have more than friendly feelings for Paige? I've moved on and have a girlfriend."

I snicker at the comment she just made. "Who are you trying to convince you moved on? Me or yourself?"

Alex is looking down now. "Yeah, that's what I thought."

Alex goes back to the shirt stand and I follow her. I look toward Spinner and Paige and it seems like they're having an interesting conversation. I guess everyone is just falling for Paige.

"Hey guys," Jesse appears out of nowhere. I didn't know douche bags have powers. "Is Paige around?"

Alex and I walk over to Spinner and Paige. "Five minute warning," Alex warns Spinner. "And you've got a visitor Paige." Alex and I walk away but close enough to hear what's going on.

It looks like Spinner just pushed Jesse. Those two kids keep arguing and Paige walks away from them but it seems like she's having a hard time breathe. Alex and I rush to her side.

"Come on aim for 10," Alex says, trying to calm Paige down. "1, 2, 3. That's it." Paige's breathing is still heavy but I think her panic attack is starting to subside. Meanwhile the two idiots are still  
fighting.

"I mean whatever," Spinner says to Jesse. "You suck!"

"Will you both shut up?!" Alex yells at them. Paige has seemed to have gotten her breathing under control.

"Keep counting," I tell her.

Alex grabs the rest of Spinner's outfit and walks to the boys. "You go stand out front," Alex orders Jesse. She turns to Spinner. "You go put on the rest of your outfit and a smile because we have to go model these freaking clothes. Clear?!" Both boys look at each other and goe their separate ways.

"Alex," Paige starts.

"Save it," Alex interrupts her and now she's walking away.

Paige is now looking at me with desperate eyes. "Are you feeling better?" I ask her.

She nods her head.

"Good. And just know that sometimes being casual can hurt more than those in the immediate circle."

After Fashion Show at The Dot:  
The rest of the show went smoothly, as smoothly as it could go. Now we're all here at The Dot and let's just say that Alex is not a happy camper right now.

"Well here's to our first fireworks-filled fashion show, but hey three new buyers came through," Jimmy says. "Cheers!" Everyone clicks their glasses and mugs except for Alex and me because neither one of us is drinking anything.

Spinner holds out his mug to Paige but I guess decided against it.

"So Spin spoke to me after the show," Paige and telling Alex and me. Alex is obviously not interested because she's not even looking at Paige.

"All apologies for freaking out, but we both know that it just, it wasn't mean to be. But Jesse is still into the cas' thing, so what say you wise counsel?"

Alex finally turns and looks at Paige. "I say they both suck and for that matter, so do you." Alex gets up to leave and I'm right behind her. We're walking out of The Dot the back way into the alleyway.

I hear the door open up behind us and I don't need to look back to know Paige is following.

"You know what Alex," Paige says and slams the door behind her. "You suck to."

"Sorry," Alex shouts back but continues walking.

"Oh your apology is killing me with its plaintive sincerity!"

Alex stops and turns around to look at Paige. I can tell this is about to be a heated conversation so I go up against the wall and pretend to be invisible.

"God I hate your thesaurus," Alex tells Paige. You can tell Alex is about to cry.

"And I hate how you're acting right now," Paige shouts. "Why are you doing this?"

Alex sort of lunches forward and grabs Paige. Oh my baby Jesus! Alex just kissed Paige!

"Because I love you, you idiot!" Alex exclaims to Paige. OY MY GOD! "So much that is scares the crap out of me." Alex is definitely crying now because her voice is cracking. I don't think Paige knows exactly what to say.

Paige is shaking her head slightly. "Why?" she asks. "Just why did you tell me to go on all those dates?!" I think Paige is sort of hurt that Alex didn't tell her how she felt but instead told Paige to go on a bunch of dates.

"Because I thought you being cas' with guys was nothing serious," Alex says. I place a hand over my heart and I can feel tears starting to form. "And a lot better than you with some other girl."

I never thought honest could be so beautiful before.

"I just…" Paige doesn't really quite know what to say. "Can't with you right now. I really do…"

I'm crossing my fingers hoping she'll say it. Alex is also looking at Paige right now, silently pleading her to say it.

"I really have to go back inside," Paige finally says. My heart is slightly breaking from the scene in front of me.

Paige walks back inside while Alex is just silently standing in the same spot, letting the tears fall from her face.

I approach Alex, my heart reaching out to her. She finally notices me and shrugs her shoulders.

"I told her I loved her," she says.

"And for that I am so proud of you and so sorry." I wrap my arms around Alex and just let her cry on my shoulder. I know Paige feels the same way, but for some reason she's scared.

Later At Home:  
"It's going to be ok," I tell Alex as I'm opening the door to my house.

"I just want to drown myself in ice cream," Alex says sadly.

"I don't know about that." I hang my coat up. "My mom has been eating a shitload of ice cream lately and you saw how much she ate at Thanksgiving dinner.

Jordan, come in here please!" I hear my mom's voice. That's right they wanted to talk to me about something.

Alex and I walk into the kitchen and parents are once again at the counter with a tub of ice cream in front of them.

"Is it cool if Alex spends the night tonight?"

"Of course it is," Brian says. "Alex, you're always welcomed here."

"Thanks Mr. Johnson."

"Well I think you should both sit down because we have news to tell you," my mom says in a serious tone.

Alex and I both sit on the stools and look at each other wondering what my mom has to say. Oh God, I'm hope we're not moving again.

"Well Jordan…" Brian starts out. "It seems like we'll be adding a new member to the family."

Ok, I'm confused. "Is grandma moving in or something?" I ask them. They shake their heads no. "Oo oo, are we finally getting a puppy?"

"No," Brian says. Then I notice his hand is on my mom's stomach.

"No, you've got to be kidding me."

"Surprise, I'm pregnant," my mom says happily but with a nervous smile on her face.

Alex and I both look at each other and then at my parents. "WHAT?!?"

* * *

****

Did you like? Leave REVIEWS please =)


	6. Try Too Hard

**A/N: This is really just a filler b/c I'm working on a bunch of stuff due to finals coming up but I didn't wanna leave you guys hanging dry too long. and thank you to everyone that's reviewing. maks my heart soar =)**

**Disclaimer: I own a 120 GB ipod and 2141 songs. I however do not own Degrassi or it's characters. =)**

* * *

They say that children who grow up as an only-child tend to be selfish, greedy, and attention whores. Does that even sound like me? NO! I can't even describe what I'm feeling right now. I mean I don't understand why my parents would choose now to have a second child.

"Are you trying to replace me?" I ask them.

My mom comes around the corner to hug me. "Of course not," she tells me.

"Jordan, we love you," Brian says. "And no one could ever replace you."

"Well then I don't understand why you're having another child," I tell them in confusion. "I mean no offense but you two are kind of old." I look at my mom. "Mom, you're about to turn 40." Then I turn to Brian. "And you're already 41. Do y'all really want to start all over?"

"To be honest, I'd love to see a little Brian Jr. running around the place," Brian says.

" Or another sweet little girl like you running around," my mom says while pinching my cheeks.

I sigh. "I need to go upstairs and process this." I go up the stairs with Alex following behind me. We enter my room and I slam the door behind us.

"Ugh!" I slightly scream.

Alex shrugs her shoulders and gives me a small smile. "Congrats on becoming a big sister," she says.

I throw my hands up into the air. "They can't do this to me! How could they?!?"

A confused look appears on Alex's face. "What are you talking aboot? This should be happy news for you."

"What? Why the hell would this be happy news for me? It's like they're trying to replace me. They're probably going to give the baby my room."

"You have three bedrooms in this house you're using as storage rooms! I highly doubt your parents are going to change your room into a nursery. You should be happy for your parents. Think of your dad and how happy he is. Your mom has you but your dad doesn't have a child that he can actually call his own."

I point to myself. "He has me!"

"It's not the same Jordan! Yes, you are his daughter but the man wants a child that shares the same genes as him and you can't blame him for wanting that."

"You don't understand how I am feeling right now."

Alex is shaking her head. "No, I don't. I don't understand how selfish you can be right now. I don't understand how you can be a brat right now. You have two loving parents downstairs who just told you probably the happiest thing that could happen to them and you and all you can do is sit here and complain. No I don't understand at all!"

I'm just staring at Alex now. She has no idea all the emotions running through my body. I sit on my bed and throw my head into my hands.

"I've been an only child my whole life. Brian has been my dad for seven years. I just don't understand why they would choose now to have a second child. Why they would choose to wait till I leave for college to have another kid." I look up at Alex. "So sorry if I feel like they're replacing me."

Alex sits on my bed beside me and places a hand on my shoulder. "Maybe they figured now would be a better time than ever."

I lay back and let my head land on the pillow. "I just want to forget this day."

"You and me both," Alex grumbles.

I'm going to be a big sister. I can't believe my parents are doing this to me…

**Saturday Morning  
**_There are rose petals falling everywhere. Why are there rose petals falling from the sky? Did the rain here suddenly turn into rose petals?_

_I look ahead of me. It looks like some girl is running towards me. Beth? She approaches me and places her hand on my cheek caressing it. I lean in to the touch._

_"I miss you so much Jordan," Beth says._

_"I miss you too," I tell her. "Why are there rose petals falling from the sky?"_

_Beth giggles. "You would ask that." Beth steps closer to me and rests her head against mine. "Let's be together forever," she whispers._

_"I love you."_

_"I lo-"_

_"JORDAN!" some weird voice out of nowhere says. Why is the earth starting to shake?_

_I look back at Beth and she starting to fade. I try to reach for her._

_"Beth! Please don't leave," I plead._

_"JORDAN!" the mysterious voice yells again as the earth continues to shake._

I open my eyes and Alex is standing above me.

"God, I've been saying your name for like five minutes," she says.

I give her a dark look and growl. "Thanks for ruining my dream ass."

A confused look appears on Alex's face and all I can do is shake my head.

"I saw her on Tuesday," I tell her.

"Saw who?" Alex asks.

"Beth. I saw her at the park, swinging on the swings."

"And? Did you do anything?"

I give Alex the "what the fuck" look. "Do anything? What the hell would I do? **She **broke up with **me**."

"Do you still love her?"

"Sometimes that's not enough Alex."

Alex holds up a hand like she's saying "stop". "You mean to tell me that I had to confess my feelings to Paige and totally get my heart broken yet you don't have do to the same thing with Beth? That's sort of bullshit and fucked up in my opinion."

"Our situations are not the same Alex."

I open my bedroom door and proceed to head downstairs. Alex is following me.

"Bullshit they're not the same. We both love girls who don't want to be with us."

I turn to face Alex halfway on the staircase. "Beth broke up with me! She gave me no reason what-so-ever and just broke my heart." I point to Alex. "**YOU** broke up with Paige because you felt the  
need to figure out your future without Paige. Plus we all know why Paige isn't with you and that's because she's scared. Paige is always fuckin scared. But I have no idea why Beth broke up with me.  
So yeah, our situations ARE different."

I walk into the kitchen and my parents are sitting at the table with a breakfast buffet in front of them.

"What's all this," I ask.

"Well your mother and I decided that today would be the perfect day for a breakfast buffet," Brian says with a wide,yet nervous, smile on his face.

"Is this breakfast really for the family or is it for the snot bucket that's growing insides Mom's stomach?"

My mom rubs her stomach protectively. "Jordan…" she says as if she's warning me.

I sit down in my seat. "I was just joking. Listen Mom, Dad, I'm not saying I'm completely 100% happy about this pregnancy but it's not like we can reverse it. I mean yeah, part of me is excited to become an older sister but another part of me can't help but feel hurt because it's like you're replacing me."

Brian opens his mouth to say something but I raise my hand to stop him.

"I know you're not but I can't help but feel like that. And Dad, I know you're excited because it's like your finally going to have your own child."

"You're my child Jordan," Brian jumps in.

"Yeah, but there's a difference between adopting your stepchild and having a child that has your genes. It's ok, be happy. I just want to disappear when the baby arrives. And I get to keep my room."

My parents laugh at the last part and a smile appears on my face.

"Wow," Alex says. "I feel weird that I just sat here for that intimate family moment."

I throw an arm around Alex's shoulders. "You are family Alex."

We all dig into the food and begin to eat.

"Wait," I say, sort of pausing breakfast. "How far along are you?"

"Eight weeks," my mom answers.

"So that's like two months right? So this baby will be born in June?"

"Yeah. You'll be here for the birth," Brian says.

"Good. I'll set the kid straight with the ground rules right away."

Everyone starts laughing, like a just told a funny joke. Too bad I'm actually serious.

**Later That Day:**  
Alex and I are just walking. We're not really walking anywhere but we just felt like getting out of the house.

"It's going to snow here soon," I tell her.

"Yep, I'm waiting on the first snowflake of the season," she says seriously.

"No offense but that is kind of weird."

"Yeah I know."

I sigh because I'm about to bring up the topic both of us have been avoiding. "What are you going to do now?" I ask her.

"I'm not sure," she answers, knowing what I'm talking about.

"Well you have to break up with Carla. It's not fair to her or you to stay in a relationship your heart isn't in."

Alex is nodding her head in agreement. "Yeah I know. Plus I think she's just been slumming it with me anyway. But what am I going to do about Paige? I want to be with her, I do, but it's so hard when she keeps running away."

"I think Paige loves you too Alex. I mean back there in the alley yesterday it seems like she was going to say it but she got scared again."

"I don't understand how she can be scared about the same thing over and over."

"Expectations maybe. It's hard for some people. I think it's because we're not in high school anymore and since Paige is no longer in college she has to face the "real world" and she's afraid of what the "real world" will think of her relationship with you."

Alex stops and looks at me with a raised eyebrow. "How are you so smart about this?"

I shrug my shoulders. "I couldn't save my relationship, so I have to at least save yours."

We start walking again. "You could always call her and talk to her," Alex says.

I'm shaking my head. That just sounds like a bad idea. "I can't do that. I'm not going to put myself out there for her to just hurt me with no reason."

"Ya know you're not being fair. You can't expect me to always put myself out there for Paige and you don't put yourself out there for Beth."

"Well…" I'm looking for something to say but Alex is right. It's not fair that I tell her to do something but I'm not doing it. "This summer."

"What?"

"I'll do it this summer. It's going to be hard to win Beth back during the school year when we're seven hours away from each other. I'll win her back in the summer."

Alex holds out her hand to me. "Deal?"

I take her hand and shake it. "Deal."

**Sunday Back In Florida:  
**I'm back in Florida. The rest of break was uneventful. In two weeks though I'll be back home for a whole month.

I'm searching the crowd for my ride. Amy said she was going to pick me up but I don't see her anymore. I get out my cell phone and call her.

"Hello?" Amy answers the phone.

"Where are you?" I ask.

"Someone else is coming to pick you up. I had a doctor's appointment that I forgot about."

"Well who is coming to pick me up?"

"Jordan!" I hear a voice calling me.

I turn to see who called me name. You've got to be kidding me.

"Please tell me you didn't," I say into the phone,

"Have fun," Amy says quickly and hangs up the phone.

I pick up my bags and walk to my ride.

"How was your break?" Tammy asks.

"It was great," I tell her in a monotone voice. "How was yours?" You can clearly tell that I don't care.

"It was great but I'm glad break is over because I missed you." Tammy smiles at me.

I want to like this girl, I do. But she just creeps me out a little. I throw my bags into the back seat of her car and get into the passenger seat.

As we're driving I feel something resting on my knee. I look down and there's Tammy's hand. Alright, this is not ok. Not on any level. I pick Tammy's hand up off my knee and drop it on the hand rest.

"Stop trying so hard," I say.

"What are you talking about?" Tammy asks.

"Pull the car over."

Tammy pulls the car over and puts it in Park. She's looking at me now and I sigh.

I turn in my seat and look at Tammy."Listen Tammy I know you've had this kinda nice, kinda cute, semi-psychotic crush on me since the tenth grade but you have to stop. You try way too hard. You make it hard for anyone to like you because you're so quick to try to take things to the next level. And sometime you go too far with the flirting. And also if I didn't like you in high school then what makes you think I would like you now after I moved to a different country and had a relationship with someone there."

Tammy is just looking at me now, like she's not sure what to say. Oh no it looks like her eyes are starting to tear up. Please God no, I don't do well with crying girls.

Tammy sniffles and…there's the water works. Fuck my life.

"I-I'm s-sorry," she stutters through her tears.

I lay my head back on the head rest and put my hands over my eyes. I'm silently praying to God to let this all be one giant horrid nightmare.

"I can't help that I like you so much," she says. "I mean I've had a crush on you since the 8th grade but of course I couldn't let people know. But then in the tenth grade I was just so tired of hiding in the closet and I thought that maybe if I finally came out then you'd want to date me. But you just kept ignoring me. I mean it's like being popular wasn't enough so I tried harder with you.

"Then you moved to Canada and I was pretty much heart-broken. I mean I dated other girls while you were gone. I even slept with some girls but you were always there in the back of my mind. And then I saw you on the FSU campus and I figured this was God giving me another chance. I…"

Oh my God, she's still talking. Part of me feels so bad for this girl but another part just wants her to shut up. How do you shut up another person without sounding mean? I lean forward and…. GREAT!  
Just effin great! I'm kissing Tammy Mason. Somehow I ended up kissing Tammy effin Mason. She's not the bad of a kisser to be honest. This actually feels kind of sort of nice. At least I don't want to gag.

I pull away from the kiss and Tammy's eyes are still closed.

"Tammy?" I shake her a little bit. "Tammy!"

She jolts out of her bizarre trance. "Wow," she says.

I turn and look forward. "Just drive please."

Tammy puts the car back into drive and now we're driving back to campus. She's smiling and humming a happy tune. She place her hand on my knee again.

What the hell did I just do?

* * *

**A/N: **

**Y'all decide what I do in the next chapter. You have two options.**

**Option #1: the next chapter will be all about Jordan**

**Option #2: I can pull a Degrassi and not bring up the Jordan-Tammy story line until way later into the story and go ahead and jump into Don't You Want Me pt. 1 & 2**

**So YOU decide!**


	7. Somewhere Together

**A/N: Sorry it took awhile to update. I had finals and a whole bunch of school drama. Also this chapter is really long. Over 8,000 words. Enjoy =)**

* * *

There are very few things I regret doing in my life. Seeing as I'm only 18, I pretty much have the same regrets that all 18 year-olds have. I regret not doing that project back in middle school, I regret missing the bus that one time because there ended up being free cake at school that day, and I regret not stopping Jay and others from pulling that prank that caused a school shooting. Ok, maybe the last one isn't what a typical 18 year-old regrets but then again the kids who go/went to Degrassi aren't typical kids. I think though the biggest, and I mean BIGGEST, regret so far in my life is kissing Tammy Mason.

"That was a stupid move," Alex tells me. It's about two days after the kissing incident and I just got done telling Alex what I did.

"Yes Alex, I know it was a stupid," I tell her.

"Why'd you do it?"

"She wouldn't shut up and she kept talking and talking and talking."

"So every time a girl starts talking for a really long time you kiss her to shut her up?"

"No. It's just, I don't know…"

"Well, now what are you going to do?"

"Avoid her?" There's silence on the phone and I know that if this was a face-to-face conversation Alex would be giving me a look right now. "It's a big campus, I can do it."

"Sounds like you're pulling a Paige to me."

"Wow really? You went there and brought it back. Wow. This is not the same thing Alex. I'm not running because I'm scared of liking girls. I'm scared because Tammy Mason is effin crazy."

"Well I say go for it."

Wait, what the hell did she just say? "What?!? Just a few days ago you told me to go for it with Beth. I'm not understanding you Nuñez."

"Well you said that you weren't going to go after Beth till the summer so there's no reason for you to be single till then. All I'm saying is that you should go out and have some fun."

"You know that if this blows up in my face it'll be your fault."

"Yes I know this. See ya in two weeks."

**TWO WEEKS LATER!  
**I'm about to get into my cab that'll take me to the airport to go home. I've been successfully avoiding Tammy for the past two weeks. Although I feel bad about this, I just can't deal with it.

"Jordan!" I hear someone yelling my name.

I turn my head in the direction the voice came from. Oh shit.

"Jordan Johnson!" Tammy yells. "What the fuck?"

The cabbie is giving me a look as he slams the trunk shut. He shakes his head and then gets into the cab. I turn back to Tammy and she looks angry.

"You've been avoiding me for two weeks Jordan," Tammy says with anger and her hands on her hips.

"Well see-," I start.

"So what, you just kiss girls and then not talk to them?" Tammy interrupts me. "I poured my heart out to you and then you kissed me. Then as soon as we get back to campus you grab your stuff out of my car and race back to your room. Do you think you can just play with my heart like that?"

I hold my hands up to signal her to stop talking so I can talk. "Give me time," I tell her. "Winter break is a month long. Give me a month to think, that's all I'm asking for."

Tammy sighs and takes her hands off her hips. Then her eyes soften and she crosses her arms. "Fine," she says.

"Thank you," I tell her.

"But…" Tammy grabs my shirt and pulls me forward.  
We're kissing again. She places her hand behind my neck and deepens the kiss. I'm still keeping my hands to myself.

We both pull away. "You can think about that during break," Tammy says and now she's walking away.

I feel a tad bit light-headed. I'm shaking my head slightly. I guess I have a lot to think about during break now.

**Canada, A few days later:**  
I'm sitting in my room thinking about the kiss. Part of me feels…giddy that I actually kissed someone. But another part of me feels guilty because I kissed someone other than Beth. I know that Beth and I aren't together so what I did isn't cheating but I can't help but feel guilty.

_She's the girl all the bad guys want. Yeah, she's the girl all the bad guys want._

I sigh, being interrupted by my thoughts. I pick my cell phone off my dresser and answer the phone.

"Yo," I answer.

"Do you want come over?" Alex asks.

This is…weird. I rarely go over to Alex's place. She's usually always over here to my house.

"You're inviting me over to your place?" I ask cautiously. "Did Chad move out or something?"

Alex chuckles at my comment. "No. He actually just got a new plasma TV and Paige is coming over to fold shirts for the store. So I figured since you didn't have anything else to do this lovely Thursday night, you'd like to come over.

I scoff. "I could have had a hot date tonight. You never know."

"Look, do you want to come over or not?"

I sigh, feeling defeated. "I'll be there in 15 minutes."

Alex's Place:  
Alex wasn't lying when she said Chad got a nice new TV. This makes me wonder how he could afford it. He's just sitting in the recliner watching stock car racing.

Alex, Paige, and I are all folding shirts right now. I feel like every time I come home I'm doing something that deals with Squatch Designs. I just got done telling Paige and Alex about what happened with Tammy.

"I told you not to avoid her," Alex says in a 'know-it-all' voice.

"Hon, I say since you're single anyway you might as well give this girl a chance." Paige says.

"I know, I know," I tell them. "It's just that I don't want to get into this relationship and it ends up being she likes me way more than I like her."

"Or maybe you just don't want to get into another relationship because you're afraid of getting hurt again," Alex says.

I raise my eyebrow. "Since when did you become oh so wise?"

Alex shrugs her shoulders. Alex's mom brings us all some soda and Chad a beer.

"Thanks Emily," Paige thanks Ms. Nuñez as she hands her a soda. "You are the hostess with the mostest."

"You come over anytime you'd like Paige," Ms. Nuñez tells Paige. "And you know you're always welcomed here Jordan."

I smile. "Thank you."

"Put me down for Oscar night so long as Chad lets us watch on his 6000inch Plasma thingy," Paige says.

"It's actually a JVC 65in plasma TV with HD capability," I tell them bluntly.

I look up from folding a t-shirt. Alex, Paige, and Ms. Nuñez are all looking at me now.

"I know a lot about televisions, so what."

A knock at the door interrupts the awkward moment.

"Pizza money's on the side table, hon," Ms. Nuñez tells Chad.

Chad gets up and opens the door.

"Good evening," a man says.

We all look up from the table and there are two police men standing at the door. This cannot be good news.

"We're looking for Chad Kent," the police officer says. "Are you him?"

"Depends," Chad says. He glances at us and then looks back at the cops. "What do you want?"

"We have a warrant for your arrest for the crime of credit card fraud," the cop informs him. He hands Chad a piece of paper which must be the warrant. Now the cop is turning Chad around and handcuffing him.

"Credit card fraud?" Ms. Nuñez asks. "What?" She takes the warrant from the cop and looks at it. "No, there must be some mistake."

"Sorry Emily," Chad says and now the cops are taking him away.

I'm not going to lie and say I'm surprised. I mean, how else would he be able to afford a 65-inch plasma TV?

"No wait!" Ms. Nuñez follows them to the hallway.

Alex walks towards her mom. "Should I come?" she asks.

"No. No you stay." Ms. Nuñez grabs her coat. "I'm sure we'll get this all uh sorted out."

Alex shakes her head slightly. Paige and I are looking at one another, neither of us knowing what to say.

"Wow. How 'Cops' was that?" Paige asks Alex.

Really? Did she just reference a television show?

"Are you okay?" Paige asks Alex.

"Paige you should go," Alex tells her.

"You sure? The TV's all ours."

"It's late and I have exams. Could you just go, please?" I can tell that Alex is having a moment. I feel like she's about to shut us out.

"As you wish, hon. Um thanks for your help."

Paige grabs all her shirts and leaves the apartment. I look at Alex and she's sitting down with her head in her hands.

"Is there anything I can do?" I ask her.

"No," she says. "I'm just going to wait her for my mom to get back." Alex stands up and we both walk to the front door.

"I'll talk to you later?" I ask.

She nods her head yes. "Yeah, I'll talk to you later." We pound fists and I'm on my way home.

**Next Day-Friday**:  
I called Alex earlier today to find out what happened and she told me Chad racked up some major credit card bills. I asked her if there was anything I could do. Told her that my parents would be happy to lend her the money but of course she declined. This of course is understanding and not surprising at all. Alex is always one for pride and I know that she would feel like taking my parents' money is like accepting a hand out. She told me she was able to get her job back at the movie theater. It must suck having to work there without any friends there. I don't blame Alex for not taking the money my parents are offering but I wish she'd just take it,

_I'm a Barbie girl, in a Barbie world…  
_  
That's Paige calling me, interrupting my thoughts.

"Hello," I say into the speaker.

"Hey Hon," Paige greets me cheerfully. "Would you like to go see a movie with me?"

"Are we actually going to go see a movie or are we just going to go visit Alex at work?" I ask her.

"Both," she tells me.

"Alright, but you're driving since you invited me."

"Ok, pick you up in ten."

Movie Theater:  
"All I'm saying is that I want to see _The Psycho_," I tell Paige.

"And all I'm saying is that I am not in the mood to see some scary horror film that's going to give me nightmares," Paige argues back. "I want to see _Diamonds & Gold_."

"I don't want to watch some sappy love chick flick. If I did then I'd be at your house right now watching _The Notebook_"

We've been arguing about which movie to see for awhile now. I just don't feel like watching some stupid love story. I want to be able to yell at the screen. I'm in the mood to see some blood and guts. I don't care how that sounds right now.

We see Alex at the nacho cheese machine and I notice that Paige instantly smiles and her face sort of lights up.

"I used to love dispensing artificial nacho cheese product," Paige says as we're approaching the counter. Alex turns around. "That ooey, glooey texture."

"I miss eating the M&Ms," I say sadly.

"Great," Alex says. "First the cops raid my house and now you see me wrapped in polyester. Real attractive." I can tell that last comment was for Paige and clearly not for me.

"Hon if you needed a job so bad, you could have asked me. Of course I can only pay you in t-shirts."

"My mom needs the cash fast. Big faceless corporations weren't the only ones Chad stole from. He racked up my mom's credit card, so…"

"Um I wish I could do something. I mean maybe I could lend you a little bit."

Alex laughs a nervous laugh and slightly shakes her head no. "No, I'll be fine," she tells Paige.

"So um," Paige starts and leans down on the counter. "How is the lovely and talented Miss Carla these days?"

Wait, Alex didn't tell her? They totally broke up like almost two weeks ago. Well I guess after declaring her love for Paige, Alex didn't want to tell her right away because then it would seem like she broke up with Carla for Paige. Which she totally did but of course she doesn't want Paige to know that.

"I think Ms. PHD was slumming it with me," Alex says. "Besides we had zero in common. It just wasn't worth my time."

"Well if Ms. Snooty Pants thinks she's too good for you, she isn't invited to my housewarming party." Paige and Alex are just smiling at each other now. It's sort of like one of those weird smiles where if you're the third party then you just fell weird standing there.

"Wait," I say suddenly realizing something. "There's a party tonight?"

Later that Night:  
I'm sitting in my living room waiting for my ride to show up. I told Alex I could just drive my car to Paige's party but she said she really wanted me to ride with her. I feel a sudden vibration in my pants.

Ok, I know, that sounded wrong. I take my cell phone out and I have a new message.

_We're here_

I walk out of my house and there's an orange car waiting for me in the drive-way. Wait that car looks familiar. It can't be. A person opens the driver's door and steps out of the car.

"Well looky here," Jay says. "If it isn't Jordan Johnson."

I walk to the car and step to Jay. "Jay, I must say. I'm surprised you're not in jail yet," I tell him.

Jay is actually smiling at me right now. "Oh Jordan, I'm glad to see that college hasn't taken away your humor."

I eye him suspiciously. That's weird; usually Jay would have an insult or rude remark to say back. I climb into the back seat where Alex is already sitting and some blonde girl is in the front.

Jay gets back into the car and closes the door. Both Jay and the mysterious girl turn around.

"Jordan, this is Mel, my new girlfriend," Jay informs me.

I smile at the girl and hold out my hand. "Nice to meet you," I tell her.

She smiles back and shakes me hand. "Nice to meet you too," she says kindly. I like her, she seems nice. And maybe she's the reason why Jay is being weirdly friendly to me.

We arrive at the house and you can already hear music as we pull up. I'm the first one to enter the house and I immediately spot Paige. I walk up to her and hug her with one arm.

"Hey Paige," I greet her.

"Hey Hon," she greets me back.

I take a brownie from the plate and start eating it. It's like heaven in my mouth. Finally Alex and the rest of the crew make an appearance.

"You made it," Paige says when she sees Alex. And then she notices Jay and Mel. "With guests."

"Paige, this is my new girlfriend, Mel," Jay informs Paige.

You can tell by the look on Paige's face that she doesn't 100% approve.

"You said invite people," Alex tells Paige. "Their movie ended, so I did. Now where can I change out of this loser suit?" Alex opens her coat a little to show us that she is still wearing her work uniform.

"Mel's been telling me she might be able to get you out of that sexy uniform," Jay says.

"Yeah they're looking for cute servers where I work," Mel says.

Paige looks away. "Where's that? A strip bar?" she says semi-quietly. I don't know if she wanted the rest of us to hear that or not but we all did.

Mel is giving Paige a look. The look says 'don't judge me chick'.

"Club Zanzibar, perfectly respectable cocktail bar…on one side," Jay says. Jay and Mel glance at each other. "Crazy hot peelers on the other, or so I've been told."

I'm pretty sure Jay has been there. Actually I can bet that Jay has been there. I've heard of the place but I myself have never been. That just seems more like a straight guy thing than a lesbian thing.

"Yeah they prefer to be called exotic dancers," Mel tells Jay. Now she's looking back at the rest of us. "Besides I work in the bar, fully clothed at all times." Mel sort of directed that more towards Paige. "It's good tips, about $150 a night."

Alex's face sort of lights up. I can tell she's considering applying for the job. "And they're hiring?" Alex asks amazed.

Uh-oh, Paige has a worried look on her face. I can already tell that she's disapproving of the idea already.

Mel pulls a card out of her pocket. "Come by," she tells Alex. "I'll get you an interview."

Mel is walking away and Jay is following her but not before he takes a brownie off of Paige's plate.

"Jay's girlfriend works at Zanzibar," Paige says. "Quel surprise. Guess NASA wasn't hiring."

Alex is just looking at the card Mel handed her.

"Paige, you're judging," I tell her. "We've talked about judging others before."

"Hon…" Paige starts.

I shake my head and interrupt her. "Nu-uh, we do not judge other people or their jobs. Besides exotic dancing is hard and apparently a great way to burn calories. So I've heard of course."  
Paige shakes her head at me and is now leaving to mingle with other guests. Alex looks up from the card and looks at me.

"So what do you think?" she asks me while waving the card around.

"I say if you need the money fast then apply for the job."

"That's why I hang out with you. You understand."

"Well nice to know you just don't hang out with me to eat all the food at my house." We both laugh and decided to enjoy the party.

**Next Day**:  
I'm bored. That's the thing about break and not being in school or having a job. I get bored. I look into the corner of my room and see my guitar. I haven't played it in a while. I grab the guitar and find a random pick on my desk. I start strumming a few chords and sing some lyrics that just come to my mind.

_Give me a chance to show you  
__Give me a chance to be real with you  
__Give me a chance to prove to you  
__Give me a chance to love you_

Wow, that actually sounds pretty good. I grab a notebook and write down the lyrics. So that can be a chorus, now all I have to do is write some verses and a bridge. But I got to figure out what exactly I want this song to be.  
_  
She's the girl all the bad guys want. Yeah, she's the girl all the bad guys want.  
_  
I pick up my phone off the bed and answer it. "Yo," I say into the speaker.

"Hey," Alex says. "I got the job."

"Congratulations. When do you start?"

"My first shift is tonight."

"Oo, your first shift is a Saturday night. It should totally be packed tonight. I think… Actually I'm not quite sure when strip clubs are packed and when they're not."

"Its ok Jordan, I get it. I'm going to go but I'll talk to you later."

"Alright, peace." I hang up and close my phone.

My stomach just rumbled so I'm going to go ahead and guess that I'm hungry. I go downstairs to grab something to eat. My mom is pulling cookies out of the oven and Brian is at the counter with papers everywhere. Looking at my mom I see a tiny tiny baby bump but nothing noticeable yet since she's only ten weeks pregnant.

"Hey hey," I say.

"Hey," Brian says without even looking up.

"Hi honey," my mom says and smiles at me. "I made you some cookies."

I take a cookie that's already on a plate because those have already cooled down. "Thanks mom. So how's my younger sibling doing?"

My mom pats her belly. "Just fine."

"When do you find out if it's a boy or girl?"

"I don't find out till about 18 weeks into the pregnancy."

"So in eight weeks we'll find out if we'll be painting one of the bedrooms blue or pink?"

"Yep. So how's Alex and her mom doing?"

"Alex got a job at Club Zanzibar. Apparently you can get really good tips there."

"She's not stripping is she?!?" my mother exclaims.

I give my mom a look. "No mom, she's not stripping. She's working as a waitress in the bar part. Calm down."

My mom pretends to wipe sweat away from her forehead. "Well good. How's the whole Paige and Alex almost relationship but not quiet thing going?"

"I don't know, it's hard to say. I mean you can tell that something is obviously there but after Alex confessing her love for Paige and Paige sort of shooting her down I think things are sort of rocky. I think eventually though Paige will overcome her fears and they'll be together."

My mom approaches me and places a hand on my shoulder. "And how are you doing in the relationship category."

I sigh and slightly shake my head. "I don't really want to talk about."

"Alright honey." My mom kisses me on the cheek. "But know I'm here to talk if you want to talk."

"Thanks mom."

I grab two more cookies and go up to my room. What am I suppose to tell her? There's some girl in Florida waiting for me and I have no idea what I'm going to do. I'd rather keep that to myself.

**Next Day:  
**_She's the girl all the bad guys want. Yeah, she's the girl all the bad guys want._

Ugh. I look at my clock. It says it's nine am. I throw my head back into my pillow. Alex's ring tone is still playing. Ugh.

"Hello," I say groggy.

"Hey," Alex says. "I need you to come over."

I let out a whine. "It's nine o'clock in the morning. Can this wait till like, I don't know, one in the afternoon?"

"No I need you to come over now. Just do it." She hangs up the phone. Not only is she annoying, but she's also rude.

I reluctantly get out of my bed and throw some sweat pants on and a coat. I'm so tired, but when a best friend calls the other best friend must answer.

Alex's Place:  
I knock on the hard wooden door as I'm also leaning against it. It's a surprise that I got here in one piece. I'm still tired and I'm pretty sure I was only driving 40 km/h. For those of you that don't know, that's 25 mp/h.

Alex opens the door and let me tell you I wasn't awake before but I'm definitely awake now. I'm eyeing her body up and down; it looks like I'm checking her out. She's wearing a short red leather skirt, an open white button shirt, and a black sports bra.

"What are you wearing?" I ask her.

"Good morning to you to," she says and moves so I can walk in.

Mel is sitting down on the coach and some video showing three women and stripper poles is showing on the TV.

"Hey Mel," I greet Mel.

"Hey Jordan," she greets me back in a tired voice.

I turn back to Alex and point at her. "Back to you," I say. "Why are you wearing that? Are you about to be in a Bubba Sparxxx music video?"

"That's pretty much what I said," Mel says from the coach.

"My mom informed me last night that we're about to be evicted unless we can come up with two grand in ten days," Alex tells me.

"So you're going to do a rap video to get the money?" I ask.

Alex throws a sleeve thing at me. "No," she says. "I'm thinking about stripping."

Damn. "Oh…" is all I say. I mean I don't really know what to say. "Do what you have to do."

"Thanks," Alex says.

I hear light snoring. Alex and I walk over to the coach. We're both laughing quietly. Mel is pretty much passed out on the coach right now. I want to grab a sharpie so badly right now and write on her face. Alex and I are just looking at each other right now. We both shrug our shoulders.

**Next Day**:  
I'm chillin' at Marco, Ellie, and Paige's place right now. Paige and Alex are supposed to meet me here in a few. Paige and I are going to help Alex study for her exams. Right now I'm helping Marco get dressed.

"Wear that tie and that shirt and everyone will be all over you," I tell Marco.

"I'm not going for me remember," he tells me. "I'm going to help Ellie."

I pat his shoulder. "I know, but you should still look hot also."

The front door opens. Marco is still checking himself out in the mirror and I turn to see who it is. Of course it's Paige and she's carrying books.

"Hey Mr. Snazzy Pants," Paige greets Marco. "You stepping out on my bro?"

"Naw, I'm just wing man tonight," he says as he's fixing his tie. "Ellie's looking for love."

I follow Paige to the kitchen and she puts her books on the counter.

"I'm hoping it makes her less bitter about the whole you dating her ex thing," Marco informs us.

"Well Hon, she can get over it," Paige says. "I just had a delicious post work break up coffee. Jesse and I are fini."

"Seriously?"

"Hmm yeah. So much for a cas hookup. I was like his therapist. It was Ellie, Ellie, Ellie on repeat." Paige sighs. "Besides, I've got other things on my mind."

Marco and I are both looking at each other knowing what these "other things" are.

"Things like say Alex?" Marco asks.

"Alex Nuñez perhaps," I ask and raise any eyebrow.

"Maybe, sort of," Paige says. Paige turns around and looks at us. "Definitely." She places her hands on the table. "She's working at Zanzibar, Marco." Paige takes her coat off and let me just say, that it one ugly sweater she is wearing. "I couldn't sleep last night," Paige informs us. "I kinda had another mini panic attack."

"Ok, perspective," Marco starts. "Um, it sucks but Alex can take care of herself."

"I know, but I'm still worried about her." Paige's voice does sound caring right now. "She's my friend."

"She's your ex," Marco says. "And you just broke up with Jesse."

I cross my arms. "We can't be friends with our ex's?" I ask.

Marco turns to me. "Are you friends with your ex?"

My eyes narrow. "Touché, continue."

Marco turns back to Paige. "The scene writes itself here."

"Ok Hon, you are love starved and hence a little crazy," Paige says. "It's not like that."

Ellie appears in the doorway. Her face tells me she looks slightly confused but then again she did just come into the conversation.

"Marco I'm ready," Ellie says. She holds up her jacket. "Let's go."

Marco sighs. "Well, just so you know you've got my blessing," he tells Paige. He starts walking backwards. "I always thought you two made a perfect couple."

"Marco we are not…" Paige starts. Marco leaves and Paige sighs.

I turn my attention to Paige. "You also have my blessing."

Paige opens her mouth to speak but I hold up my hand indicating her to silence. "It's me you're talking to Paige. I was there from the beginning." I sit down in a chair. "Stop being afraid and just go for it. You were already afraid in high school and you got over it. You're a big girl now. If you want to be with her then be with her. But you have to hurry before she closes the door and locks it."  
I walk into the living room, leaving Paige in the kitchen to think about what I just said. I lie down on the couch and close my eyes. I've suddenly become tired.

Sometime Later:  
I can hear voices. It sounds like Paige and Alex. I slowly and slightly open my eyes and I see the two at the table studying. I must have fallen asleep. Well I'm going to pretend to still be asleep.

"Describe the function of enzymes and metabolic reactions in mitochondria," Paige says.

"How about not?" Alex says. "Break time?"

"I thought you'd never ask. So uh I have some news. You are looking at a newly single girl."

"You broke it off with Jesse?"

"We had zero in common, hon. He wasn't worth my time."

"Well it sounds like you got it all figured out, Paigey."

"Hardly, I was supposed to be at Banting fast tracking to an MBA. I was supposed to be a sorority girl sipping cosmos with Brittany and Amber, but here I am chilling with you and it feels right. Why is that?"

There's silence now. Why is there silence? I quickly look up and I see Alex pulling away from Paige. Damn, they kissed and I missed it.

"Why do you keep doing this to me?" Alex asks. Uh-oh, this doesn't look too good.

"Sorry I…I thought the door was kind of open."

"Yeah it's been open for weeks. The problem is you keep opening it and then closing it and opening it and closing it. Just make up your mind!" Alex is walking away from Paige.

"Look you're cool with being a lesbian, but I don't know what I am."

"The word is bisexual Paige and it's just a label. Who cares?"

"My parents already have one gay kid."

I can feel the tension is this room rising.

Alex laughs at Paige's last comment. "So?!"

"So I just dropped out of university!" Paige says, raising her voice. "Let them deal with one major parental crisis at a time."

Alex is just shaking her head. "Great. Everything's always on your schedule, isn't it?" Alex grabs her coat.

"I am supposed to give them grandkids one day. You do not get the pressure I am under."

"Pressure?!" Alex exclaims. Whoa. "Excuse me for finding your idea of pressure pretty…pretty damn pathetic right now." Alex's voice is sort of cracking and I can tell that she's on the verge of crying.

"Hon, don't cry," Paige says in a concerned voice.

Alex whips around. "Stop," she tells Paige. "You don't get to break my heart and then comfort me too."

Alex grabs her stuff and leaves. Paige is just staring at the door now. Paige turns and now she's looking at me.

"You said the door was open," she says hurt.

I get up. "You didn't go in through the door. You tried to get in through the window." I place a hand on Paige's shoulder. "You're Paige Michalchuk. You shouldn't give a fuck what people think about you."

"But what about my parents?"

"It's your life Paige, not theirs. Stop worrying about them and stop caring about labels. This is YOUR life. If being with Alex is going to make you happy then be with her." I grab my jacket and head towards the door. "I'll talk to you later Paige."

I close the door behind me and sigh. Dealing with these two is probably going to cause me to have a heart attack one day.

**Next Late Night/Early Morning**:  
_She's the girl all the bad guys want. Yeah, she's the girl all the bad guys want.  
_  
Oh my effin God. Why can't I ever hear this ringtone when its daylight and I'm actually awake? I look at my clock and it reads 1:15 am. I pick my phone off my desk.

"I swear to holy Bob, Alex. This better be good."

"Is Paige and I getting back together good enough?"

Wait, what? "What?" Alright, I'm up and excited now.

"After work Paige came over and asked me to be her sweetheart."

"She asked you to be her sweetheart? Who uses the word sweetheart?"

"Jordan, that's beside the point. The point is that Paige and I are back together."

"Palex is alive once again. Woo!"

"Oh and I have another thing to tell you. I'm…"

"What? Alex don't mutter."

Alex sighs. "I'm stripping," she repeated.

"Oh… You need the money that badly?"

"Yeah I do. My mom didn't get the extension on the rent so we need the cash quick."

"Well I understand. I mean I wish it didn't come to this point but you gotta do what you have to do. Did you tell Paige?"

"Jordan, we just got back together."

"I know. Let's not start this relationship out badly already. Just tell her."

"Jordan you know how Paige gets."

I sigh into the phone, defeated. "Fine, it's your relationship. Do what you want. I'm going to go back to sleep now. I will talk to you later."

Day!:  
_You… Don't wanna be just like you. What I'm sayin' I, this is the anthem. Throw all your hands up._

Someone's calling me. I look at my phone and I don't recognize the number but the area code is Tampa Bay. I open my phone.

"Hello?"

"Hey Jordan," the voice from the other end says.

This voice sounds familiar. Oh, you've got to be kidding me. "Tammy?"

"Yeah," she answers cheerfully.

"Tammy, how did you get my number? And why are you calling me?"

"I just wanted to see how you are."

I sigh into the phone and raise my hand up to my forehead. "Tammy, it's only been a few days. What happened to giving me time?"

"I'm sorry," she sounds sad. "I know that you told me to stop trying so hard and I know that I said I would give you time, but its hard Jordan."

"Well you're not making it any easier by bugging me Tammy. January 19th you will have your answer."

"Ok," Tammy says, sounding defeated. "Bye Jordan."

"Bye." I hang up the phone.

I'm starring up at the ceiling. How do you express what you're feeling when you don't know what you're feeling? In song. I grab my guitar and start strumming random chords.  
_  
There's a girl in Florida  
__Waiting for me  
__But I'm afraid  
__That she'll sting me like a bee_

_Maybe I should give her a chance  
__If we work out  
__Maybe we'll go to France_

Go to France? Now I'm just trying to find stuff to rhyme. My phone beeps loudly indicating I got a new text message. The text message is from Alex.

_We're going out tonight._

Well at least I have something to do tonight.

Later that Night:  
We're all here at this club/bar place. It's Paige, Alex, Jay, Mel, Marco, Ellie, and me. Apparently Marco is still helping Ellie look for a man. Marco and Ellie are getting food while the rest of us are sitting at a table.

"So what's in the bag?" Jay asks Paige, gesturing to the bag on the floor. "A gesture of sweet, sweet romance?"

"This?" Paige picks up the bag off the floor. "A little post-exam gift for my belle. Super on sale." Paige hands the bag to Alex.

Alex reaches into the bag and is now pulling out a red dress.

"Oh fancy," I say.

"Sexy!" Mel says. "It's perfect for work."

I slightly choke on my drink. Alex quickly looks at Mel. Uh-oh.

"Hilarious Mel," Alex says. Alex turns back to Paige. "She's, she's joking," she tells Paige.

"Good," Paige says. "But as far as jokes go, hon?" Paige tilts her head. "Not so funny. The thought of you wearing a parka in that place gives me an emotional boil."

Jay, Mel, and I are all giving each other looks now. We're all mentally agreeing that Alex lying to Paige is not good.

"Well then I guess I'll just have to perform an emotional lancing. Tomorrow night I'll quit. I'll find a new job."

A new song starts and Paige's face lights up. Mel and I look at each other both knowing that once again Alex is lying to Paige.

"Are you serious?" Paige asks Alex. "Best present ever!" Marco appears and rests his head on Paige's shoulder. "I suddenly feel like dancing," she announces to us. Paige is now walking to the dance floor with Marco.

Jay, Mel, and I all turn our attention to Alex. I cross my arms and raise an eyebrow. Mel rolls her eyes and Jay sort of smiles.

"New job?" Mel asks.

"As far as Paige knows, you bet," Alex says.

"A big, fat lie," Jay says. "Now there is a solid foundation for a relationship."

"Yeah. A complicated one and if she finds out I'm an exotic dancer, there won't be one at all."

"Well good luck with that, Lextasy. You see when a hot girl shakes her naked ta-tas for a living, word gets around."

"Really Jay, ta-tas?" I ask him. I turn my attention back to Alex. "Jay has a point."

Jay gasps in surprise.

"Yes Jay, I'm actually agreeing with you for once. Alex, lies in a relationship is never good, especially when it comes to you and Paige. I say tell her the truth before she finds it out from anyone else."

"She's not going to find out from anyone else because we're all going to keep our mouths shut," Alex says. She's looking at all of us now with threatening eyes. "Right?" she asks in a threatening tone.

We're just all nodding our heads now although none of us agree with the decision she's making.

**Next Night**:  
I'm looking through my closet trying to find an outfit to wear to Degrassi's Winterfest Dance, which is in two days. I know what you're thinking. Why is a college student going to a high school dance?  
Well Alex and Paige are going and I was invited so I'm going also. Not like I had anything else planned for a Friday night.

_You… Don't wanna be just like you. What I'm sayin' I, this is the anthem. Throw all your hands up._

My phone is just blowing up lately. I look at the caller ID. I don't recognize the number that's on the screen. All I know is that it's someone from Toronto calling me. I flip open my phone.

"Hello?"

"Hey Jordan, its Mel," Mel sounds anxious, maybe even nervous.

"Mel, what's wrong?" I'm a tad worried because I'm expecting to hear something bad about Alex.

"You need to get down here to Zanzibar now."

"Why what's going on."

"Paige is down here."

"Oh shit. I'll be down there as fast as I can." I close my phone and jump out of my bed. I'm searching for clothes, good clothes. I'd rather not go into a strip club looking like a bum. Oh fuck it. I grab sweats and I'm out of the door.

Zanzibar:  
I'm searching the bar and I finally find Mel.

"Mel, am I too late?" I ask her, out of breath.

Mel pulls me to the side. "Alex just got off stage and Paige is waiting backstage for her."

Shit. "How do I get back stage?" Mel points in a direction and I'm now on my way.

I'm almost there and... Whoa, angry Paige heading my way.

"Paige…" I start.

She's giving me angry eyes. "Did you know?" she asks.

"Paige…"

Paige shakes her head at me and now she's angrily walking away. I enter the back room and Alex has her head in her hands. I can hear her quietly crying.

"Alex, are you ok?" I ask quietly and I place a hand on her shoulder.

Alex looks up at me and her mascara is running a little. "I don't know Jordan," she says sadly. "I guess the relationship is over before it even began."

"Just talk to her. Explain what's going on."

Alex slightly nods her head and then lays her head down in her arms. I can tell that she's still crying a little bit. I put my arm around her shoulder and try comforting her. I knew Paige would find out, she always does.

**Friday**:  
It's Friday morning and I'm at The Dot right now reading a book and drinking some tea. The dance is tonight and I have to admit I'm a little excited. I find the perfect outfit yesterday at the mall while I was shopping with my mom. Silk black pants with this nice shiny silk red shirt and a black and red stripe tie to pull it all together. I'm going to look so cool and so hot.

The bell jingles and I look to see who just came in. It's Alex and she doesn't look too happy. She sits at the table that's right beside me and doesn't even notice me. The door bell jingles again and this time Paige is walking through the door. She sits down at the same table as Alex. They're sitting across from each other. Oo, this should be interesting.

They both try to same something at the same time.

"Sorry, you first," Paige says.

"I'm sorry you had to find out the truth like that," Alex says. "The look on your face at the bar…"

"You need help," Paige says. "So I'll forgive you, erase that image from my memory and we'll celebrate your new job at the dance." Paige places a folder on the table. "There's an internship at my  
mom's company."

"Paige I have a job, okay?"

"Exploiting yourself is not a job, so swallow your stupid pride and accept help when it's offered."

I have to admit I agree with Paige that Alex needs to swallow her pride and accept help. But then again I know Alex, and pride is a lot to her.

"My mom and I are this close to being evicted," Alex says. "I do this because I have to. Get it?"

Paige is shaking her head. "No," she answers. "I will never ever get why you would take your clothes off for money. For any reason ever!"

Alex leans back and crosses her arms. "I don't know female empowerment?"

I slap my hand to my forehead. This is going down south real fast.

"That's bovine fecal matter and you know it, Alex," Paige says, sounding like she's becoming angry.

What the hell is bovine fecal matter? I'm going to have to look that up when I get home.

"I'll have enough in a week or two," Alex says.

"Until something else comes up. Every night that you do this, it kills me. When does it stop?" At least Paige is being honest about her feelings.

"Maybe when I make enough for tuition or when I get my mommy's magic credit card, like yours."

Oh wow, that was kind of harsh.

"This is my reality Paige and if you can't be there for me, we have no future," Alex says.

"Sorry Alex," Paige says while shaking her head. "I can't." Paige gets up and is leaving.

"Have fun at the stupid dance," Alex says after her.

The door jingles and Paige is gone. I get up from my seat and sit in Paige's seat. Alex and I are just looking at each other. We're both expecting me to say something.

"If you care about her and want a relationship with her then fix this," I tell Alex bluntly.

"How?"

I'm shaking my head at Alex and I chuckle. "You and I both know I can't tell you how. Only you know how." I get up and leave The Dot.

That Night, at the dance:  
When I attended Degrassi I only went to one dance and that was prom my junior year. I didn't attended senior prom because Beth ended up being sick and you know Alex doesn't do dances, so instead we decided to blow up some fire crackers that day. Paige actually blew some up to. That was a really fun night.

I'm here at the Winterfest Dance and the decorations are amazing. It really does look like a winter wonderland in here. I'm looking around and I see some of the usual kids. Wow, Sean Cameron came back. I wonder when that happened. He's dancing with Emma, and Toby and Liberty are dancing together. I also see Ashley and Jimmy dancing. I wonder where Manny is. I see Paige at the punch table. I might as well go face her now.

"Hey Paige," I greet her as I reach the table.

Paige sees me and her eyes instantly narrow. "How could you let her do that?" she says with venom in her voice.

I hang my head. I look back up at Paige. "I care about Alex too Paige, just like you. I don't like what she's doing anymore than you do but if Alex feels this is what she needs to do then I'm not going to stand in her way or judge her."

"She's taking off her clothes for money Jordan!" Paige exclaims.

"I know!" I shout back. "You don't think I tried to help? You don't think my parents tried to help? Alex is like another daughter to my parents and you better believed they offered to pay the rent and debt. But you know how Alex is about pride. She declined the offer and decided she would fix the problem herself. There's nothing you, my parents, or I can do when Alex makes up her mind about something."

Paige turns her head, looking away from me. I place my hand on her arm and she looks back at me.

"Paige, if you care about Alex and your relationship with her you will try and work this out."

"How?"

I shake my head. "I can't answer that for you Paige."

A new song starts and I've decided that I'm going to enjoy myself and dance. I leave Paige at the punch table and walk to the dance floor. I start dancing with random people I use to talk to last year. I look at the stage and Darcy Edwards and Toby Isaacs are being crowned Ice King and Queen. Who would have that Toby Isaacs would be Ice King.

I look back at Paige and she's standing near the door. Spinner walks up to her and they start talking. I really hope she doesn't end up sleeping with Spinner again.

A few minutes later and a slow song has started. Since I have no one to dance with I'm going to go get more punch. Whoa, Alex just walked in wearing the red dress Paige gave her and let me tell you, she looks hot. I walk over there with a punch in my hand. I stop short seeing that Alex is going to talk to Paige. I'm standing far away enough where they won't notice me but close enough to where I can hear them.

"Do you know this is my first Degrassi dance?" Alex asks.

Paige turns around, surprised to see her. They're just looking at each other now.

"Do you like my dress?" Alex asks Paige.

Paige looks Alex up and down. "Shouldn't it be on the floor at work?" Paige asks.

Alright, clearly she's still a little upset.

"I've screwed up a lot, but if I let you go it'll be the biggest screw-up of my life. So I quit stripping, for real." Alex is looking down now. I can't really see their faces so I don't understand why Alex's  
head is down.

Paige is smiling though. "Hon this is happy news!"

Alex brings her head up. "Chad's back," she says. "I can't go home. I have nothing. Just help me, please." Aw, Alex sounds so sad.

"Sweetie you have me," Paige tells her.

I step forward. "And me too," I say. They both turn and look at me surprised.

Cadence Grace's song _Somewhere Together _suddenly plays. Paige, Alex, and I all look at each other and smile.

"How about a little faux-snow dance therapy?" Paige asks.

"The only dancing I'll be doing from now on," Alex says.

Paige pulls Alex onto the dance floor and I follow. They hug and we all start dancing.

_Even if we never wake up  
__We'll be somewhere together  
_

_Put your head on my shoulder  
__Even if it all crashes down  
__We'll be somewhere together  
_**A/N:Whatcha think? Did u like? Leave reviews please.**


	8. We Wish You a Merry Christmas

**A/N: This is just a little Christmas present to all of you =)**

Disclaimer: I own Santa Clause but not Degrassi. Santa's my bitch ;-)

* * *

There's this thing called last minute shopping. It's where someone decides they want to go shopping a few days before Christmas to get everyone's present. That is incredibly stupid. So Alex doesn't do last minute shopping. Instead she does last LAST minute shopping. It's Christmas Eve and the mall closes in an hour. Who am I here with? You guessed it, Alex.

"Ugh, this is why I hate shopping!" Alex shouts.

Alex decided to wait till the very LAST minute to get Paige a gift. Granted Alex's life has been hectic lately but still.

"You've been living with Paige for like two, almost three, days and you can't figure out what to get her?" I ask.

"Listen, it's not that easy. Paige is a very complex person and I want to get her something nice and something she'll love."

"I say get her a gift card."

"I can't get Paige a gift card. We just got back together for the millionth time. Do you want us to break up again?"

A look of fear appears on my face. "God forbid that," I say seriously. "I can't take another period of you two not being together but wanting to be together." I turn Alex around to face me. "Ok, what's the budget?"

"There's no budget when it comes to Paige."

"Was there a budget when it came to me?"

Alex shrugs her shoulders. "I got you a gift card."

I open my mouth in shock. "You're freaking out about Paige yet I get an effin gift card. I guess I can tell who matters more to you."

Alex places her hands on my shoulders. "It's not that I love her more. It's just that I love her and you differently and Paige does things that you just can't."

Ew, I think I might throw up. I shrug Alex's hands off my shoulders. "What Paige does I can probably do too. Just not to you."

Alex nods her head. "Point taken, and glad to know."

Alex and I are going to all the stores in the mall now to find Paige the perfect present. Well I guess this is a good way to celebrate Christmas Eve.

**Christmas!!!  
**There's something about Christmas that makes it different than any other day in the year. It's the feeling that Christmas brings. Like for one day in the year the whole world is at peace. No matter how old I get each year I wake up Christmas morning with this little kid excitement. As I open my eyes a smile starts to form on my face. Today is Christmas, the second greatest day of the year.  
I'm running to my parents' bedroom like I do every year. The excitement and joy of Christmas has taken over my body. I open the door and both my parents are still sleeping. I guess I'll just have to do what I do every year.

"Christmas, it's Christmas!" I yell in excitement as I jump on their bed. "Get up it's time to open presents!"

My parents slowly open their eyes and look at me. They groan and try to go back to sleep.

"No sleepy time," I tell them. "Time to open presents!"

"Ugh," Brian groans. "Go away," he mutters. "Why can't you act like a normal 18 year old for once?"

I crawl to Brian's side of the bed. "Because I'm special," I whisper in his ear. "Ya know, the sooner you two get up the sooner you can go back to bed."

"Fine," my mom mutters. She gets out of the bed looking exhausted and Brian follows.

I walk to my mom and give her a big hug. "Merry Christmas Mom," I say cheerfully.

My mom hugs me back. "Merry Christmas Jordan," she says back.

I lean down a bit to be on the same eye level as her stomach. "Merry Christmas little snot bucket," I say to her stomach.

"Jordan, you cannot keep calling the baby that," my mom says seriously.

I look up at my mom. "I know, just until we find out if it is a boy or a girl. For now I will call it little snot bucket." I rub the stomach. "Isn't that right little snot bucket?" I ask it.

Brian chuckles. "Don't encourage her," my mom tells him.

I stand up quickly. "Time for presents!"

**Christmas At Palex and Other's**  
I'm on my way to Palex, Ellie, and Marco's place right now. I opened all my presents from my parents and racked up pretty well this year. I got a new guitar, about 30 cds, and a new digital camera. Brian got mom an ipod nano 8GB. Not that my mother needs an ipod that big, but he got her one anyway. I got my mom a Target gift card because Target is her favorite store. I decided to get Brian Run-DMC albums and mom got him an authentic LA Lakers jersey with his name on the back and Magic Johnson's number. Overall this was a very good Christmas in the Johnson household.  
I'm at the house now and I can already here the Christmas music blaring. I open the door and the smell of freshly baked cookies instantly hit me. I walk into the living room and they're all around the tree opening presents.

"Hey!" I shout. They're all looking at me, surprised. "You guys said you would wait for me to open presents!" I whine.

"Sorry Hon," Paige apologizes. "Alex got up and instantly started opening presents."

I narrow my eyes at Alex. "Man, you do that every year. You never wait."

"Oh just get over here," Alex tells me.

I sit besides Alex and watch everyone opens their presents. Most of Marco's presents consist of clothes, especially scarves. Ellie receives a bunch of music. I gave Paige a gift card to Ikea since I know she wants to redecorate her room. Now it's Paige's turn to open her present from Alex.

"Oh Hon, you didn't have to get me anything," Paige tells Alex while holding a small box.

"Just open it Paigey," Alex tells her.

Paige rips off the wrapping paper and takes off the lid. "Alex!" she exclaims. Paige's eyes are shining bright as she raises a golden heart necklace out of the box. She throws her arms around Alex and now they're kissing.

"Oh M Gee! I love it!" Paige tells Alex.

"I'm really happy you like it Paige," Alex says sheepishly.

"I would love anything you'd give me Lexi. I love you."

Cue the "aww" from the audience. I do have to admit that this is a sweet moment. Paige hands Alex a box.

"Your turn to open your present," Paige tells Alex.

Alex opens the box and now she's grinning from ear to ear. She pulls out two new silver hoop earrings out of the box. "Paige, they're awesome," Alex says. "Thank you so much." Once again they're kissing.

"Alright you two enough of that," I tell them. "Now it's my turn to give my best friend her Christmas present. I'll be right back."

I run to my car to get Alex's present. The present is actually from my whole family. I really hope she likes it. I enter the house carrying the present. I place the huge rectangular box in front of her.

Alex looks at me with questioning eyes. "What the hell did you get me?" she asks.

"Actually it's from my parents and me. Open it."

Alex rips the wrapping paper off and opens the box. Once again she's grinning from ear to ear. She lifts her brand new Fender Precision Bass up for everyone to see. In the white is the name _Rockin Nu_ñ_ez _inscribed into it.

"You got me a bass?" Alex asks in amazement.

I nod my head yes. "I remember you saying last year that you wanted to learn bass so here you go. The amp is still in the car."

I'm suddenly being hugged by Alex. I wrap my arms around her and hug her back. "Merry Christmas Alex," I say.

"Merry Christmas Jordan," she says back.


	9. We Love Like Vampires

**A/N: Just a little snibbet to hold yall over until I ge some inspiration. =)**

**Disclaimer: I own Punk Goes Pop vol. 1 & 2, Sparks the Rescue t-shirt, and Band Hero. I however do not own Degrassi or it's characters.**  
There comes a point in one's life where they must make a big decision. This decision could either ruin their night or make it. This decision has been debated between the group for twenty minutes now. Which movie should we watch?

* * *

"Assault on Precinct 13," Alex says for the fifth time.

"No!" the rest of us yell at the same time.

Ellie, Marco, Paige, Alex, and I are at their place trying to pick out a movie for movie night. Right now it's between Assault on Precinct 13, Mean Girls, Underworld: Evolution, White Noise, and The Pink Panther. Marco wants to watch Mean Girls, I want to watch Underworld, Ellie wants to watch White Noise, and of course Paige wants to watch The Pink Panther.

"Why can't we watch White Noise?" Ellie asks.

"Ellie, number one that movie was only released in the States, number two it made like no money because it effin sucks," I tell her. "So there are two reasons why we cannot watch White Noise."

Ellie crosses her arms. "Whatever," she mutters.

"Well my vote is still for The Pink Panther," Paige says.

All of us roll our eyes and groan.

"Paigey," Alex says. "You do realize that movie has nothing to do with pink right?"

Paige is silent. Yeah, that's what we all thought.

"Well, I say we watch Mean Girls," Marco says. "Not only is it funny but it's also a classic."

Alex and I both scoff at his comment.

"A classic?" I ask. "It's not even three years old yet!"

"But it will be in three months!"

"You should not know the release date of that movie," Alex tells Marco.

Marco just crosses his arms. Alright so it's up to me to finally end this argument.

"If we're going to watch a movie then it needs to be Underworld: Evolution," I tell everyone.

"But-," Marco starts.

I raise my hand to shut him up. "It has vampires and werewolves, so sci-fi for Ellie. It has a hot guy with his shirt off for most of the movie, for Marco."

"Well why should I vote for it?" Alex asks me.

"Hot vampire babes and there's a part with some topless vampire babes."

Alex instantly raises her hand. "I vote for the vampire movie!" she says excitedly.

Paige rolls her eyes. "You're such a horn dog sometimes Lexie," she says to Alex.

"Oh Paigey, I only get excited when I see YOU topless."

"EWWW!" Marco, Ellie, and I all say together.

Paige's cheeks are a deep pink now.

"TMI you two," Marco says.

"I think I'm going to puke," I say in a sickly voice.

"Whatever," Alex says. Are we going to watch this movie or not?"

"I'm in," Ellie says.

"Me to," Marco agrees with her.

"Vampires it is!!" I yell excitedly.

As the movie when on I noticed that Alex's face was buried in Paige's neck and Paige kept whispering Alex to stop. After the movie there was a mark on Paige's neck. This is why I don't watch movies with them more often.**  
**


	10. Battlefield

**A/N: Life sucks cuz it gets in the way. Honestly I should have had this up like last week. Major snowstorm and other shit hit me. Oh and btw to Some Guy that left me a review on chapter 9. It's a filler dude. I can make Paige a valley girl if I want. I can do whatever I want in fillers. If I was a space ship to come then I will make one magically appear. So =P**

**Disclaimer: I own a printer and way too many shirts. I however do not own Degrassi or its characters. **

* * *

Two more weeks left until I have to go back to school. I know what you're thinking. Damn, I've been back for a long time. Well winter break in college is a long time. After a semester of papers, projects, group work, and a bunch of other shit I needed a long break.

It's about 8am right now and I'm heading over to Marco, Ellie, and Palex's place right now. Alex has asked me to help her with some college applications and stuff. We've already sent in some to the colleges she's really looking at. We're expected responses from two of the colleges in a couple of days now. Paige has no idea what Alex and I have been up to because Alex wants to surprise her.

As I approach the door it opens. It's Paige, looking fabulous as always.

"Hey Paige," I greet her.

"Hey Hon!" she greets me excitedly.

"You're looking pretty snazzy there."

Paige smiles at me. "Thanks Hon! I have a big interview at Dabenshire. Gotta run! See ya later."

"See ya!" I yell after her and wave good-bye.

I walk into the house and Marco is sitting at the table eating cereal and reading the newspaper.

"Yo homes," I greet Marco.

"Hey Jordan," Marco greets me back without even looking up.

I go to the cabinet and grab a pop-tart. "Where's Alex?" I ask with half a pop-tart in my mouth.

"Oh you mean the couch potato?" Marco asks with attitude.

Whoa. What the hell is with him? "Um, yea…" I answer.

"She's in the bedroom just lying there like always."

I eye Marco suspiciously. "Thanks… I guess," I say quietly. I enter the bedroom and there Alex is, just laying there.

"Oh Alex," I sing-song.

She sits up. Damn, what the hell is with her hair? Oh my God, it's sex hair.

I point at her. "Sex hair," I simply say.

Alex smiles slyly. "You bet," she says.

I'm shaking my head. "Ew."

"Don't be mad at me just because you're not getting any."

"Yeah yeah, whatever." I pick some clothes off the floor and throw them at her. "Put some clothes on. We have a lot of stuff to do today."

Alex falls back. "Ugh," she groans. "I don't want to."

"I don't want to do a lot of things but I have to. Now hurry up and get dressed."

I leave the bedroom because quite frankly I don't want to see Alex naked. I go back to the table where I left Marco and sit down in the empty seat next to him.

"So I saw a sign on the building saying room for rent," I tell him. "I wasn't aware y'all were looking for another roommate."

"Yeah," Marco says as he turns a page in the paper. "We need another roommate to help pay for rent, and since Alex hasn't even looked for a job…"

"Have you thought maybe she's been doing other things?" I ask him.

Marco puts down the paper and looks at me. "Like what? Besides sitting on her ass watching TV, eating our food, and playing house with Paige what else does she do?"

"What don't you try asking her?" I point to Palex's bedroom and Alex is standing in the doorway with her arms crossed.

"Let's go," Alex says sternly. She grabs her coat and is heading out the door.

"Bye Marco," I say and follow her lead.

Alex and I are in my car now as we're heading to the library.

"The nerve of him," she says. She's talking about Marco and what he said back at the house.

"Don't even listen to him Alex," I tell her calmly. "He has no idea how hard you've been working these past couple of weeks. And obviously he's still bitter about Dylan and he's just taking his anger out  
on you."

"Yeah well I can't wait to see the look on his face when I show him all my acceptance letters." Alex is smiling confidently.

I pat her on the shoulder." That's the right attitude. Now I figured today at the library we'll get the last few applications done and we'll also continue our scholarship hunt. What do ya say?"

"Sounds like a plan to me," Alex says.

Alex and I started doing this college and scholarships stuff a little before she finished her last and amazing semester at Degrassi. I have no doubt in my mind that in the fall Alex will be at a University  
studying to be a physiotherapist.

**Later That Day:  
**Alex and I are back at the house. We're both in the doorway as Ellie, Marco, and Paige are interviewing some black guy with a giant afro puff.

"So why do you think you'd be a good roommate, uh Griffin?" Marco asks him.

"Uh well I'm quiet, clean and studious," Griffin answers. Sounds like the perfect roommate.

"Hmm that might not work," Ellie says. "We're kind of loud."

"And sort of messy," Paige says.

I look back in Palex's bedroom. "Aint that the truth," I say quietly. Alex sort of elbows me, but in a playful way.

"Yeah we do homework in front of the TV," Ellie says. "You're an engineering student, right?"

"Yeah well and I book bands for the club and I spin," Griffin says. "So loud's okay." He sort of chuckles.

"Oh Griffin, you're just too cool for school," I whisper to Alex.

Alex quietly laughs at my comment.

"Well Griffin it was great meeting you," Ellie says.

"Okay um I'll let myself out," he says while getting up and putting his jacket on. "You guys get right to talk about me." Everyone sort of laughs at his comment except Alex and I. Quite frankly I didn't think it was that funny. Griffin leaves the room and then leaves the house.

"Thank you," Marco says and thrown down his pad and pen. "No more callers"

"Marco just wants to get into his pants," I whisper to Alex.

Alex nods her head, agreeing with me. "I agree," she says.

"Hey I'm not so sure," Ellie says. "A hot roommate is a lot more pressure than regular ones. I need freedom to wear flannel."

I raise my eyebrow at Ellie. Is she serious?

"Griffin was incredibly cute and normal," Paige says. I feel myself puking as she said cute. "It's two to one. Sorry Ellie." Ellie's shoulders slump.

"Hmm a guy here would be weird," Alex tells the whole group. "It's a tie."

Paige turns and looks at Alex. "Um hon, you know we love you, but you don't really get so much of a vote," she tells her. "The rent's the rent, you know?"

"Right. Of course," Alex goes back into the bedroom and I follow her.

"If it helps I totally agree with you," I tell Alex.

Alex sits down on the bed. "Doesn't matter since neither one of us pays rent." Alex grabs a book from the night stand and starts reading. I sit in a chair on the opposite side of the bedroom.

Paige walks into the room and looks at both of us. It's like she's studying us. I have no idea why though. I think Alex is a little upset with her because she didn't even look up when Paige entered the room. Paige gets on her laptop and starts typing away.

"Alex, please stop pouting," Paige tells Alex. Alex doesn't even look up from her book. "You know it's only-"

Paige's face expression changes to upset. "No, no, no," Paige says. She's standing up sort of holding her computer up. It looks like she's asking God to fix whatever mistake has just happened. Alex looks up from her book. Oh so now she's interested.

"Ugh!" Paige groans. "Come on. I'm so stupid."

Alex gets up from the bed and walks over to Paige. "What's the matter?" she asks Paige.

"My license expired and I thought I could renew it online, but…" Both Alex and Paige are looking at the laptop. "Alex half of this job is driving."

"72 hour wait," Alex says.

"I have to be there in an hour." Paige seems really worried.

"Damn, that's not good," I say out loud. They're both looking at me right now, silently telling me to shut up.

Alex turns her attention back to Paige and places her hands on Paige's arms to calm her down. "You have a car, I have a license," she says.

"You would do that?" Paige asks her.

"Well it might eat into my couch time, but it will be fun to hang out for a change." I don't know why Alex is lying to Paige about what she's actually been doing these past couple of weeks. I cross my  
arms and sort of pout. I don't like feeling like I've done nothing these past weeks when all I've done is helped her.

"Thank you. Thank you. Thank you." Paige is hugging Alex while thanking her for agreeing to be her driver. "The entire fashion industry owes you huge. Ready to hit the road?" Paige hands the car keys to Alex.

"Later Jordan!"

**Hours Later:**  
"You're wrong Jordan," Marco says.

"No you are Marco!" I argue back.

Marco throws his hands into the air. "Fine I'll look it up online!"

"You do that then," I tell him and cross my arms.

Marco sits down in the armchair and loads up his laptop. I hear the door open and here comes Paige and Alex carrying a bunch of clothes. Marco turns his head and also sees them walk in.

"Bonjour couture," Marco says as soon as he sees the clothes. "And Alex, its newest fan?"

"Uh not quite," Alex says while walking past Marco.

"Had a little license issue, but this adorable super human is chauffeuring so I don't lose my job." Paige informs him.

"The things I do to spend time with you. I just don't get why we have to bring all this stuff here." Alex walks over to the bedroom doorway and leans against it.

Marco is going all through the clothes. His gayness is really coming out.

"Um hon, we can't leave them at the venue alone. They are priceless. Marco, flown from Milan today."

"No!" Marco exclaims. Marco tries to grab the dress.

"Oh no touch pas."

"I saw a pair of $1200 shorts tonight," Alex informs us. "Who buys $1200 shorts?"

"Paris Hilton and other rich bitches," I tell her. She points at me indicating that I'm correct.

"I wish I could!" Paige exclaims. "Being near them on the runway will have to do."

Alex and I are both giving each other a look. We both know that even though my family is "rich" I wouldn't pay more than $30 for a pair of jeans."

"That's just sad," Alex responds to Paige's previous comment. "So uh this show, it's for the world's five other shorts-loving freaks?"

"This show is like a huge deal," Marco says. "They said in the paper today who's sitting front row."

"I don't really understand fashion shows to be honest with you," I tell everyone. "I mean most of the outfits you see at this show regular people wouldn't wear on the street. I mean be real for second."

"I bet we could have a fashion where all the outfits are just really cool looking trash bags," Alex says. "We'll call it Bagging Fashion."

Alex and I are nodding at her idea and we pump fists. Paige rolls her eyes at us.

"Hon I will be done at the office at 4 tomorrow," Paige tells Alex. "But if I'm not outside you can just wait for me, okay?"

"Sure, I'm getting use to that," Alex answers.

Alex and I go back into the bedroom while Marco and Paige continue talking about the outfits. Alex sits on the bed and I sit in the chair.

"Ya know we still have some applications we have to do," I tell her. "Deadlines are coming up."

Alex sighs and throws her head back. "I know I know," she says. "It's just I want to spend some time with my girlfriend."

"I understand that Alex but still…"

"But still nothing Jordan. Paige needs my help and I'm going to help her."

I throw my hands up in surrender. "Alright, fine. You win."

**Next Day**:  
I find myself wondering what the hell I'm going to do when I get back to campus. Obviously I'm going to have to face Tammy sooner or later. I can't just ignore her for a whole semester. That would take up too much energy. I throw my head back in sigh. I raise my arms into the air.

"Why God?" I ask loudly. "Why me?"

"Because you're a special girl," some mysterious deep voice says.

"What the-."

Someone's chuckling now. I turn and see Brian peeking through my door.

"Ha ha Dad, you're so funny."

Brian opens the door and walks over to me. "I know I know," he says. "I'm hysterical." He gives me a cheeky grin.

"May I help you old man?" I ask him.

"Hey, watch it. I'm not old yet."

"By the time my younger sibling turns 18 you'll be 60. If we were in the states you'd almost be able to collect social security checks."

"I know you're mom and I didn't pick the perfect timing to have a baby but we're both happy to be able to bring a bundle of joy into this world. Plus this kid is very happy to have you as a big sister."

I brush my shoulders off like I had dirt on them. "Yeah I guess you're right. That little snot bucket is lucky to have me."

Brian hugs me. "Just know that no matter what your mom and I love you and will always love you. We're not going to love you any less just because a baby is going to be here."

I nod my head, understanding. "Ok Dad."

Brian kisses me of the forehead and leaves the room.  
_  
I'm a Barbie girl, In a Barbie world.  
_  
Why is Paige calling me? "Hello," I answer the phone.

"Jordan is Alex with you?" Paige asks me angrily.

"No, I'm at my house. I have no idea where Alex is."

"URGH!" _Click._Staring at the phone, I'm wondering what the hell that was all about. I shake my head and get up. I have a feeling whatever Alex is doing, it can't be good.

Ellie, Marco, and Palex's Place:

I enter the house and immediately a smell hits me. Oh you have got to be kidding me. I go to Palex's room and swing open the door. The sound of hip-hop music hits my ears and the smell and sight of weed smoke hits my face. Right in front of me is Jay and Alex lighting it up.

"You gotta be kidding me!" I yell.

"Oh hey Jordan," Alex says and giggles.

Jay waves at me. "Hey J-Dawg."

I yank the blunt out of Alex's hand.

"Hey!" she yells.

"Your angry, pissed off girlfriend just called me asking where you are," I tell Alex. "Did you forget to pick her up?"

Alex raises her hand to her mouth. "Oops," she says and shrugs her shoulders.

"It's not her fault J-Dawg," Jay says. "Mel just broke up with me and Alex is being a good friend by being here with me."

I point a finger a Jay. "Call me J-Dawg one more time Hogart and I will fucking burn a hole into your hand."

Jay makes a sad face and sort of whimpers.

"Call Paige now," I order Alex.

"Ugh," she groans. "Fine." Alex grabs the blunt back from me.

Alex dials Paige's number on the house phone. I can hear some talking coming from the phone.

"I will be soon, Paigey," Alex says. "I just had to um…just read the style section, okay? I'll get there as soon as I can."

Jay is shaking his head and quietly giggling. I hate these two when they're high. After a few more minutes on the phone Alex hangs up. Alex turns to look at Jay and me.

"I have to go get her," she tells us and puts out the blunt in the ashtray.

"First Mel leaves me, now you," Jay says sadly. "My heart is cracked open and leaking love juice all over the place."

"Your heart will heal." Alex stands up but sort of wobbles. She's holding on to the chair for support.

I slap my forehead and groan. I need to get friends who don't cause me to have an ulcer.

"I can't drive," Alex says and starts laughing. "I'm too stoned." Jay starts laughing as well. "No, what am I gonna tell Paige?"

"That you're an idiot and you're lucky to have her in your life," I mutter.

Jay points a finger in my direction. "No," he says. He turns his attention back to Alex. "Tell her that I'm a mess. That you're being a good friend. She'll get it."

Alex shakes her head. "No she'll have a fit, actually," she says.

"You bet your ass she'll have a fit," I tell them.

"These are the only things she cares about," Alex says, pointing to the dresses and ignoring my comment. Alex unzips the plastic bag to the blue dress. This has trouble written all over it. Alex takes  
the dress out.

"Whoa Mel would look so hot in that," Jay says sadly. Jay slumps his shoulders. "God I miss her."

"And that's why I keep you around!" Alex says suddenly. "For your brilliant ideas!"

That's it; I've had enough of this. I go to Jay. SLAP!

"Snap the fuck out of it!" I yell at him. He's looking at me in disbelief and covering the side of his face I just slapped.

"Grow up and be a man. If you want Mel then go get her. Getting high is not going to help your situation." I turn to Alex. "And you," I say while pointing to her. "I'm gonna go pick up your girlfriend and  
while I'm gone think of a great apology for her."

I stomped out of the room and out of the house. I dial Paige's number. "Hey Paige, I'm on my way to get you," I tell her.

Returning to the House:  
I just picked up Paige and she is really pissed off. When I pulled up to the sidewalk to get her she was giving ME the evil eyes. I haven't even done anything! We just pulled up to the house and Paige is still oozing anger.

Paige storms into the house and I'm right behind her. If she's going to kill Alex someone is going to need to call 911.  
"Alex!" Paige yells. Paige places the dress she was holding on the char. "Alex, can you at least do me the courtesy of being here when I yell at you?"

Paige walks into the bedroom and I follow. I can still smell the weed. Paige and I turn around and there's Alex hiding behind the door with a stupid smile on her face. Is she still high?

"You ditched me!" Paige yells at Alex.

Alex comes from behind the door and she's wearing a trench coat. I feel really uncomfortable now.

"I'm gonna go into the living room," I tell them.

"I know. I'm sorry, but Mel dumped Jay and he really needed-" Alex says.

"Let me guess, a shoulder to get high on?" Paige interuppts Alex.

I'm far away from the room where I can't hear the conversation.

"Oh my god!" Paige yells. "Take off the dress now!"

That did not sound like a "let's have sex now" yell. That sounded more like an "I'm going to kill you now" yell. Oh fuck, what stupid thing did Alex do now? I'm staying in the living room because I do not want to be caught up in that cross fire.

Alex is walking out of the bedroom right now holding the coat against her. Although she's holding up the coat I can tell she's wearing the blue dress I saw her pull out earlier. I hang my head down and I'm shaking it. It's like no matter what something wrong is always going on with these two.

"I'm going home now," I announce. I think I've had enough Palex drama for one night.

**Next Day**:  
I often wonder to myself how many times a couple can mess up and still think they're meant to be with one another. I mean when you think about it Palex has so many problems and issues I wonder why I think they're meant to be. It's just somewhere in my heart I know those two aren't meant to be together and in the end will be together.  
_  
She's the girl all the bad guys want. Yeah, she's the girl all the bad guys want._

Ugh. I can already tell this isn't going to be good.

"Hello," I answer my phone.

"Hey I need your help delivering some stuff."

I sigh loudly. Find your happy place Jordan, fine your happy place. "I will be there in ten minutes," I say through my teeth.

**Hours Later**:  
"Alex we have to deliver them!" I yell at Alex.

We're arguing about the VIP reminders Paige wanted Alex to deliver.

"They're $3000 Jordan!" Alex yells. "That's a lot of money"

"I know that's a lot of money but it's not our job to decided whether or not they should be delivered just because of how much they cost." I look at the car's clock. "Alex it is two o'clock! Paige is going to kill us."

"No she won't," Alex says calmly. "We'll just go to her job and explain what happened and why we couldn't deliver them."

This chick has gone crazy! "You want to go to her job?" I ask horrified. "Number one, that's a bad idea no matter how you spin in. Number two, look at you!" I point to Alex's outfit. "You're wearing sweats, a jean jacket, and dirt tennis shoes. You cannot go into a fashion place looking like that."

Alex looks at me with anger and disbelief. "Are you turning into one of them now?" she asks.

"One of them? Alex, I'm trying to stop you from doing something completely idiotic."

"Just drive Jordan."

I shove Alex. "Fine."

I'm driving to Paige's work now. I know this is a bad idea but if I didn't drive her I knew Alex would just walk there herself. We pull up to Dabenshire. I turn to Alex.

"I'm asking you, no begging you. Please do not do this."

"I'm going in and I'm going to talk to Paige." Alex opens the car door and gets out.

Ugh. I need to at least try to stop this. I get out of the car and run after Alex. Alex and I enter the building and all eyes are on us. Well actually all eyes are on Alex. I look quite good, as always. Alex fast walks into the next room and I'm right behind her.

She's about to get on the runway. Oh shit.

"Alex," I half whisper half yell. "Do not do it."

Too late, she's walking down the runway making her way toward Paige.

"Paige!" Alex shouts to get her attention.

Now I don't know what Paige's boss usually looks like but she doesn't look pleased with Alex walking on her runway right now. Alex is talking to Paige and I'm standing a few feet away. I'd rather not get evil eyes from some fashion lady that doesn't know me.

Paige's boss is pointing at Alex saying something. Paige grabs Alex and now they're walking toward me. This is not going to be good.

"Alex, what is wrong with you?" Paige asks Alex. "You didn't deliver the reminders, did you?"

"We were about to but-," I start.

"No 'cause I saw the invoice," Alex interuppts me and tells Paige. "$3000 for chocolate? That's three months rent to where I come from."

"And if I hadn't spent the last hour frantically calling people about the show, I'd have lost my job," Paige says.

"This isn't happiness, Paige." Alex's voice is getting louder. "This is a lame temp gig that has you acting like a diva."

"Guys," I say calmly. "Maybe we should take this conversation somewhere else and calm down a little bit."

Both girls turn to me with anger in their eyes. "Stay out of it Jordan," they say simultaneously.

Paige turns back to Alex. "Who asked you to judge what is okay for this company or me?" Paige asks her. "I am trying to start a career I actually care about."

"You actually care about this artificial crap?" Alex asks her. "Paige you wrap presents and iron dresses like a maid. Sorry if I have principals."

"You know what? You were better off as a stripper. It is all great to climb up on your high horse, but at least that girl was working for something."

My jaw has literally just dropped. I can't believe Paige just said that. Paige tries to walk away but not before Alex grabs her kind of forcefully.

"Alex, I'm done," Paige says.

Now they're both walking away angrily and I'm just standing here not able to move. I can't believe that just happened. I can't believe I was able to stop that. I can't believe I'm still standing here  
letting Alex walk away.

I run outside the building and I'm looking around frantically. I'm looking left and right but I see no sign of Alex. I run my hands through my hair. I have a feeling there will be no happy ending to this story.

**Next Day**:  
I couldn't find Alex anywhere. I pretty much drove all over Toronto and I called her cell about 100 times but she never answered. I didn't dare go to the house though for fear that Paige would be there.

_DING-DONG!  
_  
That's the doorbell. I jump out of my bed and run downstairs. I hope to God it's Alex and she's ok. I open the door. It is Alex but she's crying and holding a duffel bag.

"Alex?"

"I j-just came over to say good-b-bye," she says through her tears.

"Good-bye? Alex what are you talking about? And why are you carrying a duffel bag?"

Alex shrugs her shoulders. "I'm moving to Ajax to live with my mom's cousin."

What?


	11. We Are Family

**A/N: I know, this is a quick update for me =)**

**Disclaimer: I own eight Relient K songs, three cell phones, and numerous books. I however do not own Degrassi or its characters.**

* * *

I've always been one to love surprises. When I was five years old my parents (mom and biological dad) threw me a surprise birthday party at McDonald's. When I was ten years old my mom and Brian surprised me by telling me they were getting married. I love surprises, I really do. But this surprise that's standing in front of me right now I'm not so happy about.

"What?" I ask Alex is disbelief.

"I'm moving to Ajax," she says nonchalant as if it's no big deal.

"Like hell you are," I tell her angrily. I turn around. "Mom! Dad! Alex is talking about moving to Ajax to some nonexistent cousin's house!" I turn back to Alex.

"Really Jordan, really?"

"You're not moving to Ajax. You and I both know you do not have an actual reliable cousin there you can go to."

"Jordan I can't be in Toronto anymore," Alex says, her voice cracking. Her eyes are starting to water. "I can't be in the same city as her anymore. I need to move somewhere far away and start all over."

I step close to Alex and place my hands on her shoulders. "I wasn't lying at the Winter Dance when I told you that you had me to."

Alex sort of falls into my arms and we're hugging. Alex is crying hard now as I feel the tears starting to soak my shirt. I'm patting her back.

"Everything is going to be ok Alex," I whisper.

I turn my head around and see my parents standing in the door way. Both my parents are looking at me worried and confused.

"I'll tell you later," I mouth and wave them off.

Alex raises her head from my shoulder. I wipe a tear from her cheek.

"Let's go inside," I tell her and motion my head toward the door. "It's getting cold out here and I'm wearing shorts."

I grab Alex's duffel bag and we go inside. We head into the kitchen where both my parents are sitting at the island counter. My mom has a glass of milk and a plate of cookies ready for Alex. Alex sits  
down on one of the stools.

Alex smiles sadly at my parents. "Thanks Mr. and Mrs. Johnson," she says sadly and slowly begins eating a cookie.

Both of my parents are looking at me now. I raise a finger to my lips signaling that neither one of them should say anything. After Alex finished her cookie and drinks some milk I lead her upstairs.

I place Alex's duffel bag in her room. Yes Alex has a room in my house. I go to my room and Alex follows. I close the door so my parents know not to interrupt. Alex sort of throws herself onto my bed. I lean against my door and slide down.

"What happened?" I ask in a whisper.

"I came back to the house today and Marco and Paige were sitting on the couch. Then I looked on the floor and there was a duffel bag sort of just waiting for me. She already had my stuff packed and ready for me."

Anger is running through my veins right now. I slam my fist against my door, producing a loud thump noise.

"Ugh!" I yell angrily. "I can't believe Paige would do that."

"Yeah, well she did," Alex says sadly.

I pick myself off the floor and walk over to my bed. Alex is just staring up at the ceiling while tears are silently falling down her face. The scene in front of me is breaking my heart. I lie down on the bed beside Alex and take her hand into mine.

"I know you're single and lonely and I just had my heart broken but I don't think I want to rebound with you," Alex says seriously.

I squeeze Alex's hand hard.

"Ow!" she shouts.

"Don't ruin a perfectly sweet moment Alex," I tell her. I hold up our linked hands for her to see. "This is forever. It's you and me against the world." I turn and look at her. "I will never leave your side because not only are you my best friend but you're a part of my family."

Alex squeezes my hand in a friendly manner. "Thanks. You're a part of my family to." Alex uses her free hand to wipe some tears away.

"You're going to be ok," I tell her.

"You think?"

"No. I KNOW you're going to be ok."

"Thanks Jordan."

I get up. "I'm gonna go downstairs and talk to the rents. You can either stay in here or go to your room."

"Is my bass in my room?"

"Yep. Your bass, amp, and practice book is in your room."

Alex gets up from the bed. "Ok, I'll be practicing in there."

Alex goes to her room and I head downstairs. My parents are both at the island eating cookies and drinking milk. As I enter the kitchen they both look up at me.

"How is she?" my mother asks in that worried mother tone.

"I can't exactly explain how she is," I tell them. "Right now she seems ok but that could change any minute."

My mom takes a sip of her herbal green tea, apparently it keeps you calm and it's good for the baby.

"Well tell Alex she's allowed to stay as long as she wants of course," I nod my head.

Brian clears his throat. "Well I know this isn't the best time but your mother and I need to discuss something with you."

"Ok," I say simply. "Go on."

"Well Jordan, the baby will be here in a few months," my mom says while rubbing her stomach. "Because the baby will be born here in Toronto the baby will have dual citizenship of America and Canada."

"Ok…"

"As you know right now we're permanent residents of Canada but still American citizens."

"Mom no offense but is there a point to all of this?"

"Your father and I plan on staying in Canada because it would be easier for us tax wise and for the baby so in about a year we're going to apply for Canadian citizenship. The question is do you still want to be an American citizen or Canadian?"

Wow. I've never really thought about citizenship and stuff. I mean I live in Canada and I have been for almost three years.

I run my hand through my hair. "Can I have dual citizenship like the baby?"

Brian approaches me. "Dual citizenship is very complicated Jordan and we're probably going to relinquish the baby's American citizenship."

"Well why do I have to choose? I love both countries. I mean… I don't know,"

"You don't have to choose now Jordan, you have time. But one of the main reasons your mother and I are asking is because… Well, we're thinking about adopting Alex."

Say what?!? "Say what!?" I'm confused.

My mom comes from around the corner. "Of course it'd have to be ok with you and Alex first but Brian and I have thought about adopting Alex. How do you feel about that?"

I'm in my thinking mode now. Well Alex does have her own room here and we did just tell each other we're each other's family. Now that I think about it Alex is sort of already like family to me. I look back at my parents and smile.

"Sure, I wouldn't mind having Alex as a sister," I tell them.

I go to my parents and hug them and they hug me back.

"I'll go talk to Alex," I tell them.

They nod their heads in agreement. I go upstairs and go into Alex's room. She's sitting on her bed playing the bass we got her for Christmas. She has this look of concentration on her face as she studies her practice book. I clear my throat to get her attention.

She looks up. "Sorry," she says.

"It's ok, I get what happens when you go into musician mode," I tell her. I sit beside her on the bed.

"What's up?"

"My parents and I were just talking about citizenship and stuff."

"Yeah? What about it?"

"Well my parents have decided that in about a year they're going to apply for Canadian citizenship."

A surprised look appears on Alex's face. "Really? I figured your parents would eventually want to move back to the states."

I shake my head. "Nope, they've decided to become Canadian for the baby and for you."

Alex's gives me a confused look and sets her bass down. "For me?" she asks. "How?"

"My parents want to adopt you Alex."

"But I'm 19. Can they really adopt me?"

"Adult adoption, it's been done before. The question is however how you feel about it."

Alex runs her hand through her hair and takes a deep breath. "I'm not too sure. This is a lot to process, along with all the other stuff that happened today."

I place a hand on Alex's shoulder. "It's ok. You have plenty of time to think about it."

Alex gives me a cheeky smile. "You know that would mean I'd be your big sister, You'd HAVE to listen to me."

I point a finger at her. "You're only older than me by a few months."

"I'd still be the oldest though." Alex opens up her arms wide. "Give your older sister a hug," she says too cheerfully.

I shake my head. "No!"

"Oh come on!"

I hurriedly get up and continue shaking my head as Alex approaches me. "Don't touch me Alex!" I run to my room with Alex chasing right behind me. Maybe I don't want her as a sister after all.

**Two Days Later:  
**Alex has been getting better. She still has this sad look on her face sometimes though. Then again it's only been two days since she was kicked out. Alex and I are in the music room right now jamming out. Brian pops his head into the room.

"Jordan, go get the mail," he says.

I look at Alex. "See how lazy he is," I tell her.

"Just go get it," Brian says with a smile on his face.

I hang my head down but go downstairs anyway. I open the mailbox. Oh my God. OH MY GOD! IT'S HERE! I'm running back up the stairs, well running and tripping.

"Alex!" I shout as I enter the music room.

Alex looks up at my with a questioning look. "Yes Jordan," she says.

"It's here," I tell her.

Her eyes widen. "What does it say?"

I hold the envelope to her. "Look at the size. What do you think it says?"


	12. Going Away To College

**A/N: Damn ANOTHER update! I'm on a roll. Mostly because my roommate has been pissing me off so I write so wont kill her. Now I know somethings might seem off but remember that this is Degrassi world and things in Degrassi world are different from the real world.**

**Disclaimer: I own Sims 3, a printer, and an enV3. I DO NOT own Degrassi charaters=)  
**

* * *

I place my hand on the door knob and exhale very loudly. I didn't even know I was holding in a breath but I guess I was. Ok, I'm prepared for what is ever behind this door.  
I open the door and I hear the faint sound of a television playing. I look around me and the whole place is dark. There's random lit spots from where the light outside is peaking through the curtains but most of the light source is coming from the television in the living room.

I walk into the living room and it looks like there's a giant lump on the couch. The lump is also wearing sunglasses, which I don't understand since it's already dark in the room. The lump on the couch is Paige.

"Paige," I call out.

She continues sitting there, staring at the television. I walk over to the light switch and flip it up. Lights come on and now I can actually make out Paige's face.

"Paige," I call out again.

Her body is finally moving now, like she's coming out of some kind of trance. She turns her head and acknowledges my presence in the room.

"Oh, hi hon," Paige says. She smiles a fake sad smile at me. "What's up?"

"Paige, why are you sitting here in the dark with sunglasses on?"

"Wearing sunglasses in the dark is on the rage in Paris."

I'm nodding my head as if I'm agreeing with her. "If you say so. I just came over to say good-bye."

"You're leaving?" she asks, sounding sad.

"Yeah, school starts back up on Tuesday and I have to leave tomorrow morning to get my dorm room set up and pick up my books and stuff."

"Oh well…" Paige gets up and lets the blanket drop to the floor. I'm shocked at the sight in front of me. Paige Michalchuk is wearing baggy grey sweats.

"Paige…" I say quietly.

"What? Today is my only day off from work so I get to be bummy today."

I nod my head, agreeing with her. "Of course."

She takes her sunglasses off. Now I understand why she was wearing them in the first place. Paige's eyes are bloodshot red and puffy.

"Paige, have you been crying?" I ask her in a concerned tone.

Paige rubs her eyes. "Only a little bit. I was watching a sad movie earlier."

I know she's lying because in order for a person's eyes to look like that they have to have been crying a river.

"Is it about Alex?" I ask. I'm just going to get straight to the point.

Paige's eyes widen at the mention of Alex's name. "So you heard what happened between us?"

"Paige it's been two weeks and Alex is my best friend. So yeah, I heard about how you kicked her out." I try to keep the anger and bitterness out of my voice.

"I did not kick her out," Paige says in a shaky voice.

"She came home and found her things in a bag all packed and ready to go."

"It's not like I kicked her out on the street! She went to Ajax to live with her cousin."

I scoff at what she just said. Anger is starting to build up inside of me. I know that I'm about to blurt out the truth and I don't care.

"Alex doesn't have a cousin in Ajax and she's not even in Ajax!"

A look of confusion appears on Paige's face. "What?"

I'm shaking my head, slightly laughing at Paige. "Paige, you're not stupid and I know that you can tell just as well as I can when Alex is lying. I guess you just lied to yourself and wanted to believe that Alex went to Ajax to live with some cousin to make yourself feel better, but deep down inside you knew Alex was lying."

A look of concern is now on Paige's face. "If she's not in Ajax then where is she?"

I sigh and run my hand through my hair. "The day you kicked Alex out she came to my house. She looked broken and told me she was going to Ajax to live with her 'cousin'. I saw right through that lie and told her to tell me the truth. She told me how you 'broke up' with her and she said she couldn't stand being in Toronto anymore and she was going to move to Ajax to start all over. I stopped her and convinced her to stay. She moved into my house and has been there since."

I see some sort of twinkle in Paige's eyes. "So she's staying in Toronto?" Paige asks with hope in her voice.

I'm shaking my head, bursting her bubble. "No, she's coming to Florida with me."

"What?"

"While you and Marco thought Alex was just sitting on her ass taking up space, she was actually applying to universities. While I was at school during the fall she was sending me essays to proof read for her. At first she was only applying to colleges in Canada but I was able to convince her to apply to Florida State. Alex wanted to surprise you if she got accepted into Banting, before you had your whole break down."

"So she got into Florida?"

"Yeah, she did. We found out about two days after you kicked her out. Alex will be a Florida Nole with me in the fall but in the meantime she's going to be living with my grandparents and attending a local community college to earn some college credits."

By the look on Paige's face she's in complete shock. "I didn't know she was applying to universities," she says quietly.

"No you didn't because you never bothered to ask her. And the essay she wrote that got her into Florida was about how her friends had helped her change her life around. How that if it hadn't been  
for her friends she might still be doing the things she use to do and how she might not have ever realized her dream or the potential she possessed. Alex actually mentioned you in the essay more than me."

Paige sits down on the couch and covers her eyes with her hands. "I didn't know," she says.

"You didn't ask." I kneel down on the floor to be eye-leveled with Paige. "You were too wrapped up in your own little world to even notice."

Paige removed her hands from her eyes and runs them through her hair. She looks at me with sad eyes. "You hate me now too?" she asks.

I stand up and look down at her. "No Paige, I don't hate you. Alex doesn't hate you either. Neither one of us could ever hate you because no matter what you're still our friend." I open my arms. "Give me a hug," I tell her sincerely.

Paige gets up from the couch and hugs me. I'm hugging her tight to show her I still care about her.

"No matter how many times you break Alex's heart and no matter how many times you piss me off, I will ALWAYS be your friend," I tell her.

"Thanks hon," Paige says.

Paige and I let go of each other. I head to the door, getting ready to leave.

"I'll see ya later Paige," I tell her. I open the door.

"Wait Jordan," Paige says suddenly. "Do you think that maybe I could say good-bye to Alex?"

I hang my head low. Then I look back up at Paige. "No offense Paige but you did that the day you kicked Alex out."

I leave and shut the door behind me. I lean against it and exhale a deep breath I didn't know I was holding. That had to be one of the hardest things I had to do. But it had to be done. I walk to my car and get in. Alex looks at me with questioning eyes.

"How'd she take it?" Alex asks me.

"She was mostly shocked and I think disappointed in herself," I tell her. "She wanted to say good-bye to you but I told her she did that the day she kicked you out."

Alex looks at me surprised. "You said that?"

I nod my head. "Yeah I did."

I look at Alex. She's staring straight ahead with a blank stare. I place my hand on her shoulder and give it a gentle squeeze.

"Are you sure I'm doing the right thing?" she asks without looking at me.

"I think you and Paige both need a break apart. You need to figure out your lives as adults. Plus the Florida sun would do you some good."

Alex nods her head but says nothing. I sigh and start the car. I'm driving away but looking back at the house in my rearview mirror. I honestly and truly believe I'm doing the right thing by taking Alex to Florida with me.

**Next Morning:**  
_The sun will come out tomorrow!  
_  
Ugh. I thought at the time that having that song as my alarm would bring a smile to my face. In actuality I'm annoyed and I want to throw the alarm against the wall. I shut the alarm off and stretch my arms. Today is the day. The day to start anew.

I go downstairs in my pajamas and I instantly smell delicious food. My mouth is already watering. I run to the kitchen and there's a feast right in front of my eyes. Oh I love the mornings I leave to go to go or when I come home. There are pancakes, scrambled eggs, American bacon, fruit, and apple juice. I load a bunch of food on my plate and start eating like an animal.

Alex enters the kitchen while rubbing her eyes. She's wearing the usual shorts and wife beater and still has bed head.

"The smell of food woke me up," she says tiredly.

"Mhm," is all I can manage to say right now.

"Jeez Jordan," Alex says looking at me. "I hope you saved enough food for the rest of us." Alex puts some food on her plate and sits down at the table beside me.

Mom and Brian finally enter the room. I have no idea where they have been but I sort of don't care at the moment. My mind is too focused on food.

"Well there are our two college girls," Brian says cheerfully.

"Mom... Dad," I say in between eating strips of bacon.

"Honey, chew with your mouth closed," my mom says. She comes over and hugs Alex and kisses the top of my head. "Are you two girls ready for your trip?"

I just shake my head. I must shove more scrambled eggs into my mouth.

"Yeah, I'm a little anxious," Alex says while pushing some eggs around through some syrup.

I swallow the food that is currently in my mouth. "Alex, you'll be fine," I tell her sincerely. "Grandma and Grandpa are great and I have your back."

"Don't worry about Felicia's parents," Brian tells Alex. "They may seem crazy but they're not THAT crazy." Then Brian leans into Alex. "So we think," he whispers but loud enough where everyone hears him.

"Ha, you're so funny Brian," my mom says. "You're parents aren't exactly sane either."

"My mom isn't the one that shouted 'Thank you Jesus!' after I said 'I do' at our wedding."

My mom doesn't respond to that. Alex and I laugh. I'm laughing really hard because I remember that moment.

"Anyway, eat up girls," my mom tells Alex and I. "Your flight leaves in four hours."

"Yes ma'am," Alex and I say.

**At the Airport**:  
I'm not exactly sure if it's because both Alex and I are leaving this time or if it's because her hormones are crazy but I wish my mother would stop crying.

"My babies are leaving!" my mother cries out.

Alex and I are both looking at each other embarrassed. Everyone in the airport that is walking past us are giving us weird looks.

"Mom…" I start. "You need to stop crying."

"But you're leaving me again and Alex is leaving! What am I suppose to do now?"

I look at Brian. I'm pleading with my eyes to get him to calm her down. He's not being a very good husband or father right now.

"Honey it's going to be ok," Brian tells my mom smoothly. "We have a new baby coming remember?" He rubs my mom's stomach to remind her of the new baby that's on the way.

"I know but the baby we have now is leaving!"

Alex leans over to me. "What are we suppose to do?" she whispers to me.

"I don't know," I whisper back.

I place my book bag and other carry-on bag on the ground. I walk over to my mom and Alex follows. We both wrap our hugs around her.

"We'll be back before you know it Mom," I tell her.

"Yeah Mrs. Johnson," Alex says agreeing with me. "We'll be back soon."

My mom is hugging us back. Not as tight as she wants to because of the baby bump but we get the message.

I kiss my mom on the cheek. "Please stop crying," I tell her.

She wipes away a tear. "I love you," she tells me. She points to Alex. "And I love you too. Be good."

"Yes ma'am," Alex says while grinning widely.

"I love you too Mom," I give her one last hug. I hug Brian. "I love you Dad."

"Love you too kiddo," he says and ruffles my hair.

Alex hugs both my parents and thanks them for everything. It really does look lik she's part of the family. Alex and I go through security and wave good-bye to my parents.

Alex and I are both on the plane now. I look over at her and she's bouncing her leg up and down and it looks like her hand is shaking.

I eye her cautiously. "Are you ok?" I ask her.

"I've never been on a plane before," she answers honestly.

I start to laugh. Alex is angrily looking at me. It's not funny, really it isn't, but seeing big bad Alex Nuñez scared like this is sort of funny. I place my steady calm hand on her nervous shaky hand.

"It's going to be ok," I tell her. "Just go to sleep and we'll be in Florida before you know it."

Alex breathes in deeply. "Ok," she says. She closes her eyes and then the plane starts to move. Her eyes snap open. "I'm going to die," she says suddenly.

I laugh a little bit and shake my head at her. "Shut up and go to sleep."

The plane finally goes into the air and we're on our way to Florida. I hope Florida is ready for Alex.

**Florida:  
**Alex and I are stepping off of the plane. Ugh I hate when I have to be on a plane for a really long time. My legs feel weird and my butt hurts.

"I told you it wouldn't be bad," I tell Alex.

"My butt hurts," she says bluntly.

I nod my head. "Yeah, well that happens."

I'm scanning the crowd looking for my grandparents.

"Stinky!" I hear a woman yell. I turn around and sure enough there are my grandparents.

"Hi Grandma," I greet my grandma. "Hey Grandpa, I see the gut is still holding strong."

My grandpa pats his stomach. "You bet," he says and laughs. His laugh always reminds me of Santa Claus.

My grandma notices Alex standing beside me and her eyes widen with excitement. "And you must be Alex!" she says excitedly. She opens up her arms. "Come give me a hug!"

Alex looks at me. I just point my head in my grandma's direction; silently tell her to give the woman a hug. Once Alex gets in arms' length of Alex she sort of grabs her and hugs her. This is sort of weird.

"I'm so happy to meet you Alex," my grandma says.

"Nice to meet you to Mrs. Huff," Alex says.

My grandma lets go of Alex. "Oh call me Caroline honey."

Alex nods her head. "Yes ma'am."

My grandpa walks forward to Alex and holds out his hand. "I'm Mr. Huff but you can call me Willie," my grandpa says.

Alex takes my grandpa's hand and shakes it. "Nice to meet you Willie," she says.

My grandpa takes the opportunity to pull Alex into a bear hug. It looks like he's squeezing her.

"Grandpa, don't kill her," I warn him.

He lets go of Alex and gives a hearty laugh. "Let's go grab your stuff," he says.

Alex, my grandparents, and I go to baggage claim and grab our suitcases. As we approach the exit doors I stop Alex.

"Now weather here is different than it is in Canada," I warn her. "You're not going to need that big coat."

"Jordan I think I'll be able to handle your weather," Alex says, not taking me seriously.

"Ok, but I warned you." I put my sunglasses on and we exit the airport.

"Oh my God!" Alex exclaims. "It's January!"

My grandparents and I laugh at Alex. "I warned you," I tell her and smile.

I look up at the sun and my smile widens. "Welcome to Florida."

* * *

**A/N: to answer some of your questions. I don't live in Florida so I don't know how FSU admissions work but we'll say Alex got in with early decision and it just took forever for her to get her acceptance letter. The averag high temperature in Tallaassee 64 degrees. So let's say the day Jordan and Alex come to Florida it is 64 degrees. If you have anymore questions about the plot then leave me a review and I'll answer them in the next updte =)**


	13. There's A Party In Your Bedroom

**A/N: ANOTHER UPDATE! So this is the one a lot of you have been waiting for. Jordan and Tammy!!**

**Disclaimer: I own a bunch of shit but not Degrassi or its characters. =)**

* * *

After Alex and I got her settled in at my grandparent's house we made our way over to my dorm. I'm driving my grandpa's car and Alex is just staring out of the window in awe. She looks like a little kid.

"It's so amazing," Alex says.

"What is?" I ask her.

"There's no snow on the ground. There's no gray clouds in the sky. It's completely sunny here."

I laugh a little bit. "Yeah, well they call Florida the sunshine state for a reason ya know."

We're getting close to the campus because I can see the giant FSU sign and the Nole sign. As I pull into campus Alex is even more in awe.

"Wow," she says.

I chuckle. "Yeah, there's a reason why I picked this school."

I pull up in front of Smith Hall. I get out of the car and Alex follows me. We pop the trunk of the car open and grab as much of my stuff as we can.

"This looks more like an apartment building than a dorm building," she says.

We head into the building and climb the stairs to the second floor. I take my key out of my pocket and open up the door.

Alex is scanning my room now. It's like she's looking at it with a critical eye, judging it.

"It's kind of small," Alex says.

I roll my eyes. "It's a dorm room," I inform her. "It's not supposed to be huge."

Alex walks over to my wall and looks at all the posters I have hanging up. By posters I mean poster frames full of pictures of me with friends and with family. Alex walks over to my desk and picks up a picture frame. I already know what picture it is without even having to look at it. It's a picture of her, Paige, Beth, and me when we went to La Ronde last Spring Break.

_We're all staring up at the ride. We just entered the park and Alex said she wanted to get on something great. A ride that would really hype us up for the rest of the day. No one knew she was talking about Tornade._  
_  
Paige crosses her arms. "There is no way in hell I'm getting on this thing Lexi," she says seriously._

Paige is just shaking her head. "Nu-uh," she says. "There is no way I'm getting on that hon."

Alex places an arm around Paige's waist. "Paigey there's nothing to be afraid of," she says trying to calm Paige's nerves.

"Except death," Beth mutters.

"It's really not that bad," I tell them. I turn to them. "Growing up as a Floridian I was surrounded by amusement parks and you better believe that I went to every single one of them. I've been on worse rides than this one and I'm still alive."

Beth places a hand on my shoulder. "I think that maybe secretly you're supernatural," she says seriously.

I take her hand and kiss it. "Of course," I say agreeing with her. "That's how you're under my spell." I smirk.

Beth giggles and Paige and Alex both roll their eyes. We walk up to the sign in front of the sign. The sign is completely in French and I can't read a single word of it.

"I don't read French," I tell the group.

"It pretty much says this ride will kill us," Paige says matter-of-factly.

"Paigey, I know I'm not the best at French but I'm pretty sure that it does not say that," Alex says.

"I agree with Paige," Beth says to me.

Alex leans into Paige and whispers something in her ear. Paige's face expression changes as Alex is whispering. Alex pulls Paige closer to her by her hips and keeps whispering.

"Fine," Paige says. "I'll get on the ride."

I look at Beth and pout and give her puppy dog eyes. "Pwease?" I ask her.

Beth shakes her head. "No Jordan, no way," she says sternly.

I get down on the ground on my knees. Thank God I decided to wear jeans today. I clasp my hands together and hold them up to Beth.

"Please Bethany will you get on this crazy yet exciting ride with us?" I give her sad pleading eyes. She's looking straight at them and I can see her walls crumbling down.

Beth sighs. "Fine, you win."

I jump up and throw my arms in a triumphant manner. "Alright let's get on the ride."

"We had to talk to them for a good 10 minutes before they finally said yes," Alex says, remembering the moment.

"I had to get on my knees and beg," I point out.

Alex places the picture back on my desk. "I surprised you have the photo out here," she says.

I shrug my shoulders. "That was a good and fun day," I tell her. "When I look at that photo I remember the good days and try to forget about the bad."

Alex nods her head, agreeing with me. "Well I guess we should get the rest of the stuff from the car," she says.

I nod and follow her out of the room. I look back at the picture. A sad smile is on my face. Sometimes memories are all we have.

**Next Night:**  
Alex and I are at my dorm room right now getting ready to go to a frat party. My roommate Amy is also here, well actually she's in the bathroom applying make-up.

"Why are we going to this again?" Alex asks me.

"Ya know in high school you loved to party, so stop complaining," I tell her. " This is the first frat party of the smester. There will be dancing, hot girls, and free alcohol."

"Isn't the drinking age in America 21?"

"Psh the drinking age is when you get into college," Amy says while walking into the room.

I look Amy up and down. She's wearing a short skirt that barely covers her ass, a white halter top with a red bra underneath. I then look down at her feet. What the fuck is she wearing?

I point to her feet. "What the fuck are those?"

Amy looks down and then looks back at me and smiles. "They're called Uggs," she says happily.

"Why are you wearing boots with a skirt and halter top?"

"Because they're comfortable and I look cute."

"You look ridiculous. I can see your bra and I'm pretty sure your ass is hanging out of your skirt."

Amy narrows her eyes at me and points at my outfit. "Well what the fuck are you wearing?"

I look down at my outfit. I'm wearing simple blue jeans, a red button up, and some converse shoes. I think I look good. "I'm wearing clothes."

"Well you could at least try to look hot," Amy says. "At least Alex is wearing a wife beater and tight skinny jeans, showing off some of her body."

Alex is grinning now. "Wipe that stupid smile off your face," I tell her.

"Alex how do you think I look?" Amy asks Alex.

Alex is looking between Amy and me. She's really trying to think about which side to pick. "I think you look fine," Alex says.

Amy cocks her eyebrow and then smirks at me. "Let's go," she says.

Amy walks out the door and Alex and I are following her. I lean to Alex. "Just so you know you just gave her the confidence boost she needed so now she's really going to go wild at the party."

**PARTY!!  
**First frat party of the new semester and this place is packed. The music is pumping through the loud speakers and cups are full with alcohol. Alex, Amy, and I had arrived with my friends Erin and Michelle but those two decided to go and try to get some guys, which shouldn't be too hard.

Alex says something but I can't hear her over the music. "What?!?" I yell.

"This is my first frat party!" she yells back.

"Oh!"

Alex looks down into her red cup. "What am I drinking?"

"Jungle juice!" Amy yells and drowns another cup.

I take the now empty cup away from her and point my finger at her. "What the hell are you doing?"

"I'm drinking, duh," Amy says and tries to snatch the cup back. I can already tell she's buzzed.

"You know as well as I do how hard and fast this stuff hits you. Calm down on the drinking." I hand her the cup back as she's sticking her tongue out at me.

I drink some of my juice from my cup and see Alex do the same thing. I do not feel a buzz yet, but it's still early. A blonde guy is walking straight toward Alex and me. He's part of the fraternity because he's wearing the letters and his eyes are set on Alex. Oh this should be entertaining.

"Hi," the guy greets Alex.

Alex looks at me and rolls her eyes. She turns back to the guy. "Hey," she says uninterested. She drinks some more of her juice.

"I'm Adam," the frat guy says and now he's holding out his hand.

Alex shakes Adam's hand. "Alex," she says.

"Alex," Adam repeats her name while nodding his head. "Kind of weird isn't it?"

"What is?"

"Your name's Alex and I'm Adam, A and A." Adam flashes Alex a stereotypical frat boy smile. "It's sort of like fate."

I start laughing. This guy is way too funny. I hold my cup up to my mouth so the guy doesn't notice me laughing. Alex turns to me with a look of horror on her face. Her eyes are screaming out for me to help her. I shake my head while laughing in my cup. I pull my cup away from my mouth and say I silent "No".

"So would you like to dance?" Adam asks Alex.

"Actually-"

"She would love to," I tell Adam, interrupting whatever Alex was going to say.

Alex's eyes are shooting daggers at me now. "Jordan I should stay here with you and keep you company," Alex says with fake concern.

I shake my head disagreeing with her. "You should go have fun with Adam. I'll be fine here." I smile at both of them.

Adam nods his head. "Cool," he says. He grabs Alex's hand and now they're heading to the dance floor.

Alex turns her head, facing me, and slides a finger across her throat and points at me. I just smile and give her a thumbs up. Watching Alex "dance" with this guy is the most hilarious thing I've ever seen. It's not that Alex sucks at dancing, because she doesn't , it's just that every time Adam tried to get close to Alex she either slightly pushes him or maneuvers herself out of the way.

Suddenly I feel an arm around my shoulder. I look to see who's touching me. Oh, it's just a slightly tipsy Amy who has another full cup of juice in her hand.

Amy is giving me a questioning look. "I thought Alex was a lesbian like you," she slightly slurs. "Why is she dancing with that guy?" Amy seems genuinely confused.

I chuckle a little bit. "She is a lesbian," I tell Amy. "The guy asked her to dance and I kind of pushed her to him."

"Oh, that's nice." Amy takes a sip of her drink. "Guess what," she sings.

"What?" I sing back.

"Tammy's here," she says simply and giggles.

Wait, what! I look at Amy wide-eyed. "You're kidding right?" I ask her seriously.

Amy shakes her head. "Nope."

Oh shit, oh shit. I thought I wouldn't see her until classes start. Fuck, what am I going to do? I down the rest of my cup of juice. I then snatch Amy's cup and down that to.

"Hey!" she shouts angrily.

I let the alcohol flow through my body. I need to be buzzed right now. I hang my head down and sort of shake my body.

"I hate you so much right now," I hear Alex say.

I look up and Alex is standing right in front of me. I focus on the red cup that's in her hand. I snatch her cup from her and down the rest of juice, which wasn't much. Oo, suddenly I feel a head rush.

"Are you ok?" Alex asks.

"Tammy's here," Amy answers for me.

Alex's face sort of lights up. I do not like that look of excitement.

"Where is she?" Alex asks excitedly.

Amy points to the corner where Tammy and some girl are talking.

"She's the black girl in the jean skirt and green top," Amy tells Alex.

Alex looks to where Amy is pointing. "Oh, she's cute," Alex says.

I nod my head in agreement. "Yeah she is," I say. "Never said she wasn't."

"Go talk to her."

I look at Alex with a "what-the-fuck" look. I place a hand on Alex's shoulder and sort of balance myself. "And say what to her?"

Alex places her hands on my shoulders. "Jordan, do you like this girl?"

I'm definitely tipsy right now which is opening another part of my mind. Do I like Tammy? I mean I do find her attractive and if I remember correctly she was pretty smart back in high school. I think the only turn-offs were her perkiness and the fact that she tried a little too hard with me. But then there's still Beth. My heart still belongs to her.

"Jordan! Jordan!" Alex is yelling my name while snapping her fingers in front of me.

I snap out of my thinking. I look back to where Tammy is standing. I want to but it's just…

"You're either going to talk to her or not," Amy says in a bored tone. I can tell she's starting to sober up a bit.

I look at Alex. "What about Beth?" I ask her.

Alex sighs and looks back at me with some sadness in her eyes. "Jordan," she says concerned. "You and Beth broke up awhile ago. You have to try to at least move on, at least till the summer."

Alex is right; I have to try to move on. Also my tipsy state of mind is sort of going into Tammy's favor right now anyway.

I'm nodding my head. "Ok, I'll go talk to her."

I feel Alex slap my back. "Good, go get her."

Alex sort of pushes me which doesn't help since I stumble a bit. I'm walking toward Tammy and her friend now. I can do this, I can do this. I'm getting closer and closer with each step I take. I finally reach them. Oh God, they're both looking at me weirdly.

I raise a hand up. "Hi," I greet them nervously.

"Rachel I'll talk to you later," Tammy tells her friend. Her friend nods her head and is walking away while giving me an odd look.

Tammy turns to me and crosses her arms. She does not look happy. "What do you want Jordan?" she asks with attitude. What happened to the love?

"Umm how was your break?" I ask her.

"Do you actually care?"

Ouch. "Yeah, that's why I'm asking."

Tammy sighs. "It was good." Tammy runs her hands through her hair. "Look Jordan I don't know what kind of game you're playing but I'm not playing anymore. It's not fair what you're doing to me and I don't deserve it. I am an amazing girl and if you can't realize it then that's your fault. I am too smart, talented, pretty-"

This girl is just going on and on. She never shuts up, God. I lean in quickly and capture her lips with mine. They tastes like strawberry, I like strawberry. I caught Tammy by surprise but she's kissing me back now. I put my hands on her hips and pull her closer to me. Suddenly she jerks away.

"What are you doing?!?" Tammy exclaims. "Was that your way of shutting me up again because if so Jordan Johnson-."

"I want to be with you!" I exclaim and interrupt another rant.

Tammy is looking at me with a blank face. "What?"

I pull her back to me and rest my forehead against hers. "I want to be with you," I tell her.

"Are you saying this because you're drunk?" she asks me.

I groan and shake my head. I pull her into another kiss and this one feels like it could get pretty heated.

"Woo! Yeah!" I hear stupid frat guys cheering us on.

Tammy and I pull apart. "Want to go back to my room?" Tammy asks.

All I do is nod because the thought of what we might do at her place is keeping me from forming any words at the moment. Tammy is pulling my hand leading me to the exit. I look back to Alex and Amy and they're both giving me thumbs up.

Tammy and I grab a freshman frat brother to drive us back to the dorms. Tammy and I are in the backseat and we can't keep our hands off of each other. She has her hand on my thigh squeezing it.

The frat guy is trying to look at us through his rearview mirror.

"Keep your eyes on the road perv!" I yell.

He averts his eyes back to the road while I capture Tammy's lips with mine again. I just can't stop kissing her.

**Tammy's Dorm:  
**I have Tammy up against her door out in the hallway. We're not even in the room yet but I wanted to kiss her again so I did. Tammy lightly pushes me away.

"Let me at least open the door," she says and giggles. As she's trying to get her keys into the lock I'm kissing and sucking on her neck. She's moaning and having a hard time opening the door. She  
finally opens the door and we both rush in as I slam the door behind me. I kick my shoes off and I have Tammy up against her bed. I'm kissing down her throat sucking on her pulse point.

"God Jordan," she moans. Hearing my name being moaned turns me on and a fire within me lights up. I slide my tongue along her bottom lip asking for entrance and she gladly opens her mouth. Our tongues are dueling for dominance and at this point I know I can no longer control myself. I'm sliding my hands up Tammy's shirt as she's unbuttoning mine. Tammy throws my shirt off into some unknown land. We pull apart so she can take off her shirt and so I can take off my wife beater. Tammy and I climb onto her bed and I begin another assault on her neck while my hand is on her ass. I'm sliding my other hand up her skirt.

"Wait, wait," Tammy says and slightly pushes me away.

I give her a questioning look. "What?"

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

I take her lips into mine once again. I pull away. "Yes, I am totally sure," I assure her.

She grins at me and pulls me back down. Looks like Tammy is going to have her own party in her bedroom.

* * *

**A/N: So the only appearances Paige will be making for awhile are through memories. I need you guys to see how Alex adjusts to life without Paige in a new place. Don't worry I will reunite them again but not quite yet. So what did y'all think of the chapter and of Jordan and Tammy? Will Jordan regret her little party in Tammy's bedroom?**


	14. The Call

**A/N: Life gets in the way. Family and friends like to create drama. I'm very inconsistent with updating. Sorry =)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi or its characters. However I do own a very talented and cute little cousin**  


* * *

Life is unpredictable. Who would have guessed I'd move to Canada, a very cold place, and actually like living there? Who would have guessed that when Alex and I first met we would have become best friends? Who would have guessed that Paige Michalchuk and Alex Nuñez would have become a couple, break up, become a couple again, and then break up? Exactly! Life is unpredictable. If it was predictable life would be very boring.

I'm starting to wake up. The smell of lavender is surrounding me, which is weird since my room smells nothing like lavender. Ow, I have a slight headache, nothing major but still. I feel slightly cold, like I don't have any clothes on. I lift the unfamiliar comforter and wow, I don't have any clothes on. I close my eyes and try to think back to what happened last night.

HOLY SHIT! I HAD SEX WITH TAMMY MASON! OH-MY-GOD!

Alright, I'm ok. I'm calm, I'm breathing in and out, and I'm calm. The door opens and Tammy walks in wearing a t-shirt and boy shorts. Wow, she looks hot. Memories of last night are coming back to me and a smile slowly appears on my face. Last night was a good night.

Tammy notices I'm awake and smiles at me. "Morning," she says sweetly. "I didn't wake you did I?"  
I shake my head no. "Nope," I tell her. "I was already up."

Tammy walks to the bed and leans down to kiss me. I kiss her back. I think it was suppose to start out as an innocent morning kiss but it quickly turned into a heated kiss. Tammy reluctantly pulls away.

"So I'm guessing that means you're ok with everything that happened last night?" she asks me.

I think about it. I do remember telling Tammy I wanted to be with her last night. What the hell, being in a relationship would do me some good, especially if it's with a girl that really likes me.  
Tammy looks sort of nervous right now. I still haven't answered her question. I should probably give her an answer really soon before she starts to do her nervous rant thing.

I lean up from the bed and kiss her, silently telling her I'm ok with what happened  
night. I place a hand on her hip and pulls her closer to me, deepening the kiss.  
She pulls away and smiles seductively. "Are you trying to go for a round two?"  
"Yes," I answer her. "I am definitely up for a round two."

**Hours Later:  
**It's the middle of the day and I am exhausted. Round two ending up turning into round three. It's about three o'clock and I'm just now heading back to my room. I enter my room and Amy is passed out while Alex is on my laptop typing away.

Alex looks up at me. "Well, well, well, look who finally decided to come back to her room," she says.

"Yep," I tell her and grin. I look over at Amy and point at her. "What happened when I left?"

"Oh that," Alex says and gets up from the desk chair. "Amy kind of decided to go jungle juice crazy when you left and when they ran out of juice it was time for the beer."

A look of horror appears on my face. "Oh no."

Alex is nodding her head. "Yes, and did you know that she gets touchy-feely when she's drunk?"

I place a hand over my mouth. I can already guess what happened. "Did she touch you?" I whisper.

Alex nods her head yes. "I practically had to push her off of me. It was getting ridiculous."

I'm nodding my head smiling. "Yeah, that's what I had to go through the very first time we went to a frat party. But besides Amy trying molest you anything else happened?"

"How aboot we focus on what happened to YOU when you left the party." Alex starts waving her hands around me. "I'm seeing a glow. Could this be a sex glow?" She raises her eyebrows.

I raise my eyebrow. "Possibly…"

OW! Alex just slapped my arm. "You did it didn't you?"

I'm rubbing my arm that shit hurt. "If I say yes will you not hit me again? Jeez."

Alex holds her hands up like she's stopping me. "Wait, you dated Beth for six months before you slept with her but yet you just go off and have sex with Tammy. What is that about?"

"Well what Beth and I had was special. What Tammy and I did was pretty much fucking."

"Does Tammy know this?"

I raise my arm up and point to Alex. "You're the one that told me to go for it!"

I hear groaning from behind me. I turn around and Amy is slowly rising from her bed. Her hair looks crazy and her face looks funny due to her make-up being smeared. She raises her hands and rubs her temples.

"Would you guys stop talking so loud?" she asks. "You're giving me a headache."

I lean into Amy. "No honey," I tell her. "That's probably from all the alcohol you had last night."

Smack! Bitch, just hit me with a pillow. She's lucky I just got laid and that I'm happy or else I'd hurt her.

"I'll be right back," Alex announces. "I gotta go pee."

Alex leaves the room but not before slamming the door.

"Ugh!" Amy groans and falls back into her bed.

I hear a vibration noise. Where the hell is it coming from? I look on my desk and see Alex's phone vibrating. Hmm I wonder who's calling her. I look at the caller ID. Oh you've got to be kidding me.

"Why are you calling her?" I ask into the phone. No greeting, just getting straight to the point.

"Jordan?" Paige asks.

"Yeah. Were you expecting Alex?"

"Well it is her phone hon," Paige says in a "duh" tone.

"What do you want Paige? Why are you calling Alex?" My voice is a bit harsh.

"Because I want to talk to her. I miss her," she says the last part quietly.

"Paige do not call Alex. Right now you don't have the right to talk to her. Take her number out of your phone or I will change Alex's number and make sure you do not get it. Do you understand?"

"Hon, why are you being like this? I thought we were friends."

Mixed emotions are swirling around in my body right now. Yes, I am friends with Paige but Alex is my best friend and her welfare will always come first in my book. I sigh. "We are friends Paige but Alex is my best friend and I can't have you talking to her this soon. She left Canada for a reason. You need to give her time and space. I mean isn't that why you kicked her out in the first place?"

The phone line is quiet now. I can hear Paige breathing though.

"I still care about her," Paige says quietly.

"Well if you really do care about her then leave her alone so she can heal," I tell her.

"Bye Jordan." Paige ends the call.

I go into Alex's phone's call history and delete the call I just got from Paige. I can't let Alex know she called. I close the phone.

"What are you doing with my phone?" Alex asks suddenly.

I turn and look at the door way where Alex is standing with a confused look on her face. I smile at her.

"I'm just studying your crappy phone," I tell her joking. "I think it's time to get you a new one." I toss the phone to her and she catches it.

"Yeah I guess you're right," Alex says while examining her phone.

"I'll call the rents and get them to sign you up on our family plan."

"Ugh," I hear a groan. I turn and look at Amy's bed. She's sitting up and looks pissed.

"While I guess I'll get up since neither one of you bitches will shut up," she says angrily. She grabs her towel and starts walking to the door. "I'm taking a shower," she mutters.

Amy leaves the room and slams the door behind her. Alex and I both look at each other and shrug our shoulders. Alex goes back to my desk and starts typing away on my laptop again. I stare at her cell phone. It's too soon. I'm doing what's best for her and I know in the end she'll thank me.

* * *

**The next chapter will be EPIC! Because it'll be in two parts =)**


	15. Miami pt 1

**A/N: It's SPRING BREAK! What could possibly go wrong? This story has both plenty of Jordan and Alex stuff in it. ENJOY!**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Degrassi I would be rich and wouldn't feel bad about spending a whole pay check on a Warper Tour ticket. **

* * *

Who knew spring semester of college would be so tough? I need a break. I need SPRING BREAK! Yet I must wait two more weeks, ugh. Alex and I are in my dorm room right now working on homework. I'm sitting at my desk while Alex is sitting on my bed. My brain is definitely about to fry. I throw my pencil down.

"I need a break," I groan.

"You need to finish your history homework," Alex mutters without looking up from her homework.

"I think I liked it better when you were more party, party than study, study."  
_  
Knock, knock  
_  
"Who is it?" I call from my chair, not bothering to get up to see for myself.

"Your amazing girlfriend," the person on the other side answers.

Alex looks at me and sort of rolls her eyes. I get up from my chair to let Tammy in. It's not that Alex doesn't like Tammy it's just that Tammy is so different from Beth. I mean Tammy had liked me forever and now that she's finally with me, well let's just say she's enjoying every moment of it.

I open the door and there's Tammy with a huge smile on her face wearing her sorority shirt. She's in Nu Beta Omicron, which is probably the most popular and selective sorority at FSU.

"Hi Jordy," Tammy greets me happily. Yeah, she calls me Jordy. I'm not ok with it either but whatever.

"Hey babe," I greet back. I kiss her and let her in my room.

"Hi Alex!" Tammy greets Alex excitedly.

"Hey," Alex mutters without even looking up.

"So I was wondering…" Tammy starts as she sits at my desk. Uh-oh, it's never good when someone starts out a sentence like that.

"You were wondering what?" I ask.

"Do you have any plans for Spring Break?"

I look at Alex. "Do we have any plans for Spring Break?" I ask her.

"I was planning on doing school work," she answers

I walk over to her and close her science text book. "Stop working," I tell her. "God, I miss the old you. At least she had fun."

Alex sticks her tongue out at me.

"How about we go to Miami?" Tammy asks?

Now that sounds like a plan. I turn around to Tammy and raise an eyebrow. "Really, Miami?" I ask her excitedly.

"Yep," she says. "I talked to my dad yesterday and asked him if we could use the beach house and he said yes."

"Really? You're dad trusts a bunch of college kids with his beach house?"

Tammy gets up. "I'm his little girl. Of course he wouldn't say no to me." She smirks at me.

I turn back to Alex. "Miami," I say simply.

Alex puts her pencil down, looks at me, and then sighs. "But I was gonna get some work done that week."

I place my hands on her shoulders and start shaking her. "Do you hear yourself?" I ask her. "You, Alex Nuñez is saying no to a hot, wild, and crazy week in Miami. Spring Break! Do you know how many  
parties there's going to be down there?!? How many hot girls in bikinis there'll be?"

Tammy clears her throat behind me. I look at her and she has her hands on her hips and is tapping her foot. "Excuse me?" she asks with attitude and sort of does the neck roll thing. I think Tammy just experienced a black moment.

"Hot girls in bikinis for Alex," I say trying to save myself. I point to Tammy. "You're the only hot girl in a bikini I need."

"I better be," Tammy says.  
_  
Oh Mickey, you're so fine. You're so fine, you blow my mind. Hey, Mickey, hey, Mickey!_

That's Tammy's cell phone going off. Alex and I both look at each other and sort of roll our eyes. Although neither one of us is surprised that she has that song as her ring tone.

"Hey!" Tammy answers her phone. She's nodding her head, obviously agreeing with whatever the person on the other end is saying. "Yeah, ok. I'll see you there!" She hangs up the phone and is not smiling at me.

"I got to go," Tammy tells us.

"Ok, I'll see ya later."

Tammy pulls me over for a kiss. The kiss is becoming a little heated.

"I'm still in the room you know," Alex announces.

I pull away from Tammy and her oh so kissable lips. "Sorry," I apologize.

"Bye Alex," Tammy says.

Alex just sort of waves good-bye and now Tammy is gone. I sit back down at my desk but stare at Alex. She finally acknowledges me and looks back.

"What?" she asks.

"I know you're not exactly Tammy's biggest fan but let's try not to make it so obvious," I tell her.

"You refused to remember Carla's name when I was dating her," Alex says.

I point. "That was a different situation."

"Yeah, whatever." Alex opens her textbook and goes back to her school work.

"You're going to Miami," I tell her. "You need to take a break from school, plus you've never been so this will be a perfect vacation. And maybe you'll find a hot girl to hook up with."

"You're forgetting one thing though," Alex says bluntly.

"And what is that."

Alex looks up at me. "Beth is in Miami."

I smirk at her. "UM isn't on break the same time as us and Miami is a very big city so I doubt we'll run into her."

Alex is nodding her. "Yeah, because you and I have the kind of luck where we never run into people we don't want to see," she says sarcastically.

"I heard your sarcastic tone and I don't appreciate it."

"I don't care," Alex sort of sings.

I get up on my bed and close Alex's textbook. She looks up at me slightly aggravated but also curious.

"This trip is for the both of us," I tell her. "I need a vacation and damnit you're turning into Liberty Van Zandt. You also need a vacation and you need to get out into the world. You've been in Florida  
for almost two months now and I have yet to see you hang out with anyone besides me and my friends." I place a hand on Alex's shoulder. "I'm saying this because I love you. You are turning into a loser! We're going to Miami, we're going to party it up, and we will find a hot girl for you to make out with."

Alex is looking me straight in the eyes with an unreadable face. "This has bad idea written all over it," she says bluntly.

"It's a college spring break. Someone is probably going to get their stomach pumped three times. College spring break is all about bad ideas my friend."

Alex is shaking her head now. "Fine, I'll go."

I smile at her. "It's going to be AWESOME!" I hold my fist out and we fist pump. Miami here we come!

**Two weeks later, Miami:  
**Which city has tons of hot girls in bikinis all the time? MIAMI!!! That's right suckas, I'm in Miami right now and although we've been here for about 30 minutes I am loving it. Although we almost died getting here. Tammy insisted she'd drive since it was her car but the girl is effin crazy on the high way. Going 25 over the whole time and cutting off people left and right. And then there was a point where it took us forever to find a rest stop because she refused to pee on the side of the road.

I'm sitting in the front with Tammy in her red mustang convertible. Alex is in the back with two of Tammy's friends, Rebecca and Bridget. Rebecca is the girl from the party and Bridget is one of Tammy's sorority sisters. Right now we're just cruising. Well actually we're lost trying to find the beach house which you think Tammy would know where it is but her sense of direction sucks.

"Maybe I turn on the next street," Tammy says for the third time.

I throw my head back and groan. "Don't you go to the beach house every summer?" I ask. "One would think you would know how to get somewhere you've been to numerous times."

"I don't need you getting an attitude with me Jordy!" Tammy yells. I just roll my eyes.

"Here's an idea," Alex starts. "How about we drive to the direction of the beach?!"

"Umm Miami Beach is very big and there's different sections of it," Rebecca says in a "duh" tone.

I turn around and look at Alex. She has that look on her face like she's about to punch Rebecca's lights out.

"Don't do it Alex," I warn her.

Alex crosses her arms and just looks on the other side of her.

"Call your dad and ask him for the address," I tell Tammy.

Tammy takes her phone out and calls her dad. "Hey Daddy!" she says into the phone. "What's the address for the beach house again?"

OH SHIT! I grab the wheel and steer us toward the right. Tammy is so busy talking to her dad on the phone she's not even paying attention to the road.

"Tammy, pay attention to the road," I tell her.

"Hey Jordan," Alex says trying to get my attention.

I turn around in my seat and look at her.

"You picked a winner," she says sarcastically and holds two thumbs up.

"Shut up," I tell her. I turn back around.

Tammy closes her phone shut. "I got the address!" she says excitedly.

I throw my hands up slowly in the air. "Yay," I cheer in a fake tone. Oh Miami, please help me.

**Hour Later**:  
THANK GOD! WE'RE FINALLY HERE! After calling her dad and finally turning on the right street we arrived at the beach house. This is a pretty big beach house, not that I'm surprised. I mean Tammy's dad is a lawyer and her mom is a surgeon so a big beach house is normal for their family. We enter the house and Alex's jaw just dropped.

"Wow," she says.

"What, you don't have big beach houses in Canada?" Rebecca asks with snobby tone. Alex approaches her with a fist ready. I grab Alex's arm and pull her back. I'm giving her the look saying it's not  
worth it. I look at Tammy and she catches it.

"Rebecca, chill," Tammy says. Tammy places her bags down and claps her hands. "Ok, there are five bedrooms in the house and three bathrooms. The kitchen and dining room and through there and the movie theater is down the hall on the left. Go ahead and pick out your bedrooms." Tammy turns to me and sort of pulls me by my shirt seductively. "You and I get the master bedroom," she says and winks.

I grin. "Awesomeness." I grab Tammy and my bags and head upstairs to the master bedroom. Holy shit this is a big ass bedroom.

"And we have our own bathroom," Tammy says.

"Oh really?" I ask and raise an eyebrow.

"Mhm," Tammy says while nodding her head. "I can give you a tour if you'd like."

"Oh yes please." I'm lovin' this house already.

**Later:  
**It's about 9:30pm and we're all getting ready to head out to the club. Apparently we're going to some club called Club Space. I've been told it's one of the hottest nightclubs in Miami but that could be a lie. I'm knocking on Alex's door now, seeing if she's ready.

"Come in," she says.

I open the door and Alex is just standing there in a wife beater and boy shorts.

"You're not ready," I tell her.

"Nope," she says.

"It was a statement not a question." I approach her bed and look down at the clothes she has. "Before we left Tallahassee I told you to pack some hot clothes."

"These are hot clothes," Alex says while pointing to the clothes on her bed.

"Those clothes do not say, 'Come and get me ladies' they say 'I'm only here because my friend made me come'."

"Well you did force me to come here with you, your crazy girlfriend, and her crazy friends."

"You're being like John Kerry right now, flip-flopping."

A confuse look appears on Alex's face. "What?"

I shake my head. "Never mind, it's an American inside joke" I survey Alex's clothes again. I know there's a hot outfit there somewhere. I grab a pair of black Bermuda shorts and a red tube top. I throw the clothes to Alex. "Put those on," I tell her. "What shoe size do you wear?"

"Six, why?"

I run back to the master bedroom where Tammy is putting the finishing touches of her make-up on. "Do you have some black heels?"

"Yeah, why?" she asks without looking away from the mirror.

"For Alex," I tell her.

"Check the closet, there should be some in there."

I find the heels and run back to Alex's room. I throw the shoes on the bed. "Wear the shoes, put on your hoop earrings, and throw some make-up on, but very little because you're naturally beautiful and too much will throw your beauty off.

I go back into the master bedroom and Tammy is all done. She's wearing a very short ripped jean skirt, a black top showing off her midriff and belly button ring and plenty of cleavage, and some heels. I walk toward her and place my arms around her waist.

"I know the goal tonight is to look hot but did you have to look that hot?" I ask her. "I hope I'm not going to have to beat anybody up for trying to make a move on you."

"That'd be interesting to see," Tammy says. "Is everyone ready?"

I nod my head. "Can I drive?"

Tammy is shaking her head. "Nu-uh," she says.

"Please?" I start kissing her neck. "Pretty pretty please?" I ask in between kisses.

"Jordy…" she starts. She can't even continue because I just found her pulse point and I'm pretty sure she's having a hard time breathing. "O-Ok. You can drive," she moans.

I remove myself from her neck and grin. "Thanks babe," I say happily. I grab the car keys and leave the room. "Alright people let's bounce!"

**The Club  
**_You can find me in the club, bottle full of bub. Look mami I got the X if you into taking drugs. I'm into having sex, I ain't into making love. So come give me a hug if you into to getting rubbed._You can find me at the club too, dancing without a bottle of bub. I don't even know what the hell bub is. What I do know is that Tammy is dancing all up on me and it's hot. Tammy's two friends went somewhere, I don't know where and I don't really care. I have no idea where Alex is. Hopefully she's having a good time though. Tammy turns around and throws her arms around my neck. Is that Alex at the bar drinking?

"I'll be right back!" I try yelling over the music.

"Ok!" Tammy yells back.

The worst part about the club is trying to get through the crowd to get somewhere.

"Hey hot little mama," some random creepy dude says.

"Ew God no," I say. "Even if I was straight it'd still be a no."

I finally reach Alex. I'm breathing hard. She's looking at me confused.

"What is wrong with you?" she asks.

"Very hard to get through the crowd," I tell her. I point to her drink. "What are you drinking?"

"Don't worry it's just a Sprite," she tells me. She sips her soda.

"Alex what's wrong? It's like you're not even trying to have a good time."

Alex shrugs her shoulders.

"Ever since you got to Florida you've just been doing school work the whole time."

"I miss her Jordan," Alex says suddenly.

"Alex…"

"I can't help it. I just miss her so much that it hurts. I bury myself in school work so I don't have to think about her because every time I'm about to have some fun I just think about the fun times I use to have with her. She hasn't even tried calling me or texting. It's like she doesn't even care and has already moved on."

Oh no, guilt is creeping up my body. I can't tell Alex about the call though. I know it's wrong but I'm trying to help her. I place a hand on Alex's shoulder.

"Let's get out of here," I tell her.

"Are you sure?"

"Right now my best friend needs me and that's what comes first."

I squeeze through the dance floor again. Oh my God, totally just felt someone touch my ass. Now I feel violated. I see Tammy and she's dancing with Rebecca and Bridget. Thank God she isn't dancing with some creeper.

"Hey! Alex and I are gonna go!" I yell and hand Tammy the keys.

"Where are you going?" she yells back.

"Alex is feeling kind of down so we'll probably just go to the beach and hang! You just stay here and have fun!"

"Jordy you're not really going to leave me are you?!"

"Tammy my best friend needs me! Besides you're dancing with your friends. I'll see you back at the house."

I walk away and back to Alex. "Let's go," I tell her.

We're exiting the club and heading to the beach. I didn't realize how hot it was in there until now. Alex takes off her heels and we begin to walk. We're both looking around as we're walking, taking in our surroundings.

"This city is so alive," Alex says.

"Yeah, Miami likes to stay up late," I tell her. "I think the first time I came here I was five. My mom and Jason decided to take a family trip and we came here. I was so blown away by the lights."

"Do you ever think about your real dad?"

"By real dad I'm guessing you mean Jason. I guess every now and then I think about him. But when I do it's me hoping I never need a liver or kidney from him."

We reach a spot on the beach and decide to sit down.

"I don't even know what happened to my dad. I just remember my mom picking me up from daycare when I was three saying dad was gone. I remember her being really sad and then a couple months later the abusive boyfriends started showing up."

I pick up a random rock and throw it into the water. "Neither one of us had a perfect early childhood."

"Yeah but at least you and your mom found a nice guy to become a part of your lives. I never got a happy ending like you."

I turn to Alex. "What do you mean you didn't get a happy ending? You survived everything that was thrown at you and here you are, on the beach with someone who cares about you, attending college in Florida, and you're about to see your 19th birthday. Sounds like a happy ending to me."

Alex is grinning and nodding her head. "Yeah I guess you're right. This is a happy ending." Alex picks up a handful of sand. "And I'm sitting on white sand!"

I'm shaking my head and laughing. "I'm happy you're so excited about the white sand."

Alex and I are just looking out into the water. I'm sure she's thinking about Paige now while I'm sitting here feeling guilty.  
_  
Don't cha wish your girlfriend was hot like me? Don't cha wish your girlfriend was a freak like me? Don't cha, don't cha?_

That's my phone, Tammy is calling me. Alex is looking at me and then she rolls her eyes.

"Hey! Not my fault!" I tell her trying to defend myself. "She's the one that programmed it."

I flip open my phone. "Hello?"

"Jordy, where are you?" Tammy asks.

"I'm at the beach hanging with Alex. I told you that I would see you back at the house."

"But Jordy its Spring Break, we're supposed to be having fun."

"Tammy it's only Saturday, well technically Sunday now. The point is we still have six days to have fun. I'll see you back at the house." I close my phone.

"Why are you dating her again?" Alex asks seriously.

"Because she likes me, you told me to go for it, and the sex is amazing."

"I didn't need to know the last part."

I shrug my shoulders.

**NEXT DAY!!  
**Sunday is known as the day of rest and that's exactly what I'm doing, resting. Or at least that's what I'm trying to do, but the goddamn sun is shining all up in my face.

"Ugh," I groan. I pull the comforter over my head trying to block the sun from my eyes.

Someone pulls it back. I snap my eyes open to see who did it. AH! Sun in my eyes! I shut my eyes close quickly.

"What the hell," I half yell.

"Time to go shopping," Tammy says.

I crack open my eyes and look at her. "It's Sunday, time for rest. Now let me rest." I pull the comforter back over my head. Tammy pulls the comforter back down.

"I need some new clothes and you have to come and help me," she says. Even though my eyes are closed I can tell she's smiling.

"Isn't that what you have friends for? Go get Rebecca or Bridget. Yeah get Bridget; she's your sorority sister. Don't y'all do things together like shop?"

Tammy is sliding her hand down my stomach. What is she doing?

"I'll make it worth your while," she whispers seductively in my ear. And now her hand is sliding down the inside my shorts.

"Ok I'll go!" I exclaim.

I get out of my bed and take a quick shower. I walk to Alex's room and open the door. She's already awake and reading a book. I feel like I don't even know her anymore.

"You brought a book with you?"

Alex looks up from her book and at me. "Believe it or not I do know how to read," she says.

I shake my head. "Yeah, whatever. Anyway, do you wanna go shopping?"

Alex turns her attention back to her book. "You know I hate shopping."

"Ugh, please? I don't wanna go with Tammy by myself."

Alex chuckles. "Oh you know I'm definitely not going now."

"It's time to go Jordy," Tammy says as she walks by.

Alex is waving at me. "Have fun," she says with a smirk on her face.

I narrow my eyes at her and hold a fist in her direction.

**Forever 21:  
**I'm not like Alex in the case of not liking to shop. I do like to shop, I really do. But when I'm not the one looking for clothes or if I'm in a store like Forever 21 then the shopping tends to get boring for me. Like right now, I'm bored out of my mind while Tammy is looking through racks and racks of clothes.

"Alright I'm ready to try these on," Tammy announces.

"Finally," I mutter.

"Patience is a virtue sweetie," she tells me.

"But it's not my virtue."

She grabs my hand and pulls me into the dressing room with her.

"There is no reason why I have to be in here," I say bluntly.

"You have to tell me what looks good and what doesn't."

I sit on the bench in the corner they have in the dressing room as Tammy begins to undress. She has her back to me and she pulls off her shirt. She turns around and is now facing me. I look up at her and she's wearing a black lacey bra. Now she's slipping out of her jeans very slowly, like she's teasing me. She's wearing underwear that matches the bra.

I raise an eyebrow. "Do you always wear sexy lingerie when shopping at the mall?"

"Maybe," she says in a sexy voice.

She grabs a pair of shorts from the pile she brought with her and puts them on. They're a little short but I'm not going to complain. Tammy turns around to show off the shorts.

"How do they look?" she asks me.

I get up. "I think they look sexy."

"Yeah?"

I put my hands on her hips and pull her toward me. "Hell yeah." My lips crash into hers and it begins.

I push her against the wall and start an assault on her neck. "You were teasing me on purpose," I whisper in her ear and continuing sucking on her pulse point.

She moans and that just makes me even hotter. "Yeah, and? You liked it."

"Indeed I did."

I put my lips back where they belong, on Tammy's. Tammy slips her tongue into my mouth and I moan in delight. While her tongue is working my mouth her hands are working the buttons on my shirt.  
_  
Knock, knock_

Tammy and I reluctantly pull away from each other.

"Fuck," I silently cursed under my breath. Someone is always trying to ruin my fun. I crack the door open to see who is interrupting us.

My heart stops beating. "Beth?"

* * *

**OMG! BETH IS BACK! OH SNAP! leave reviews please =)**


	16. Miami p1 2

**A/N: Collee takes up a lot of time. It also took me awhile to update this because I wanted this to be perfect. I wanted it to be the right amount of drama and I wanted to get Beth's reason to be understood. So this story is mostly Jordan-centric but the next chapter will be all about Alex. =)**

**Disclaimer: I have no idea what's going on in the world of Degrassi. So of course I don't own it **

**My Favorite Reviews from Last chapter:**

**Degrassi1son: Yes, Tammy is AMAZING at sex. lol**

**Amydraw99: as soon as I read "Holy shit" I busted out laughing. lol**

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Like I've said before, I don't like to bring God into things because I never go to church so I feel like I'm not allowed to but come on! I'm definitely thinking God is punishing me now. I mean of all the stores Tammy would want to go to and of all the stores Beth could be working at it just happens to be Forever 21. If God isn't punishing me then some kind of higher power is. I bet they're all laughing up there right now.

I'm pretty sure my heart still isn't beating. I just can't believe that Beth is standing right in front of me right now. She looks so different. Her dark brown hair now has blonde highlights in it and I no longer see that twinkle in her eyes that I use to see all the time. She has a nose piercing and a few new piercing in her ears. Although she looks different she still looks good.

A look of confusion appears on Beth's face. "Jordan?" I guess she doesn't believe I'm here either.

"Umm…Hi," I say lamely.

"Jordy," Tammy sings. "I need help getting these shorts off."

Oh you have got to be kidding me. I cannot believe she just did that.

Beth crosses her arms and raises an eyebrow. "Jordy?" she asks.

I run my hand through my hair and nervously laugh. "Umm, yeah."

Beth is shaking her head, either in disappointment or in disgust I don't really know. "Well whatever you and whoever is in there is doing you need to cut it out because I could hear you and so could my boss," Beth says. Now she's walking away, crap.

I sigh. "Wait Beth," I call out. I leave the changing room which means I'm leaving Tammy which means I'll be in trouble later but whatever. I catch up to Beth because she's walking while I'm sort of running. I place my hand on her shoulder to turn her around. "Beth," I call out her name.

Beth turns around with what seems like fire in her eyes. "What are you doing here Jordan?"

"Do you mean here in Forever 21 or here in Miami?"

Beth shakes her head and sighs angrily. "Here in Miami Jordan," says through clenching teeth.

I nod my head. "Well its Spring Break for FSU and some friends and I decided to come to Miami."

"Of course you did," Beth mutters.

I feel a hand slip into mine and I turn to see who it is. Of course, Tammy has the most perfect timing in the world. I hope you could sense the sarcasm in that statement.

"Hello," Tammy says cheerfully but I know that's her being fake polite because she feels threatened. Tammy is holding out her other hand to Beth. "I'm Tammy, Jordan's girlfriend." Tammy smirks.

Something flashes across Beth's eyes. Beth shakes Tammy's hand. "I'm Beth, Jordan's ex," Beth says with a drop of venom in her voice.

I'm silently praying for whoever is up there to strike me down now so I don't have to go through this.

"Really?" Tammy asks. Tammy shrugs her shoulders. "Jordan's never mentioned you."

OH MY GOD! You have to be fucking kidding me right now. I recognize that look on Beth's face and it says she's hurt and pissed, but more pissed than hurt.

"I bet she didn't," Beth says.

"Well it was nice meeting you." Tammy turns her attention back to me. "Come on Jordy," Tammy says while lazily sliding her finger down my body. "We need to go to Victoria's Secret so I can buy some new sexy underwear." Tammy winks at me.

If I hit Tammy right now would it be considered domestic violence?

"Yeah Jordan," Beth says and I turn back to her. "You should probably go."

Now she's walking away. I fucked up, badly. I turn and look at Tammy. She's just looking back at me innocently. Innocent my ass, I know what she was doing and she knows what she was doing.

"What?" she asks and tilts her head.

"I know you know I'm not stupid so don't insult me by acting like I am," I tell her seriously. "What you just did was messed up and not necessary at all."

"Jordy-"Tammy starts.

"No, don't 'Jordy' me," I tell her with a hint of anger in my voice. "I get if you feel threatened by Beth but there was no reason for you to make her feel like she was nothing to me." I take my hand out  
of hers and put both of my hands into my pockets. "I'm going back to the beach house. Have fun shopping for whatever you need to shop for."

I'm walking away out of this goddamn store. Once again Alex was right. Maybe I should start listening to her.

**Hours Later:  
**I'm finally back at the house. I didn't realize the mall was so far away from the beach house. The walking did give me time to clear my head and get my thoughts together, sort of. I go upstairs and knock on Alex's door.

"Who is it?" she asks.

"It's me," I answer.

"Come in."

I walk into the room and she's sitting on her bed reading a science textbook. She is really serious about school. WOW.

Alex looks up from her textbook. "I thought you were shopping," she says.

"I was and then…" I pause.

"Then what?"

"I ran into Beth."

Alex starts laughing. What the hell! Oh great, now she's holding her side and still laughing.

"I-told-you," she says in between laughs.

I pick up a novel off the dresser and throw it at hurt.

"Ow!" she yells. The book hit her in the face. I'm wearing a smug smile right now. Yeah, I have pretty good aim. Alex is rubbing the spot where the book hit her.

"Ok I'm sorry," she says. "Tell me what happened."

I sit down on the bed and sigh. "Tammy and I were in the Forever 21 dressing room and things started to get a little heated."

"Really, in the dressing room?" Alex asks with disgust, interrupting my story.

"Shall I remind you when you and Paige were having a heated make-out session on the couch of the employee lounge last year at the theater?"

Alex blushes a bit. "Continue with the story," she says.

"So yeah we were making out and then there was a knock on the door. I cracked open the door and there was Beth, standing there."

"What'd you do?"

"Well once my heart started beating again I said "Hi" like an idiot. Then Tammy asked me if I could help her get out of her shorts. Beth walked away and I followed her. I tried talking to her but it just ended in disaster."

Alex is leaning in; the story is very interesting for her. "How?" she asks.

"Tammy came up and introduced herself. Then when Beth introduced herself as my ex Tammy said I had never mentioned her before."

"That bitch!" Alex exclaims.

"And then Tammy announced we needed to go to Victoria's Secret so she could get some new sexy underwear and then she winked at me."

Alex makes a gagging face. "I think I just threw up a little bit in my mouth."

I shake my head at her. "Shut up."

Alex throws up her hands. "I'm just saying. So then what happened?"

I sigh. "Beth walked away looking hurt and pissed off. Then I pretty much told Tammy off and left her in Forever 21."

"You took her car?" Alex asks in unbelief.

I cross my arms and give Alex the "you're a dumbass look" look. "Yeah I took the keys right out of Tammy's hand and drove the car here, leaving her stranded at the mall."

Alex sticks out her fist. "Bad ass," she says, waiting for me to pound her fist.

I swat her fist away. "You can be so stupid sometimes."

Alex raises an eyebrow. "I'm not the one that decided to spend Spring Break in a city where my ex goes to school when I know I have bad luck and would probably run into her."

I'm giving Alex a really mean look right now. I stick out my tongue and leave the room. I can hear Alex laughing through the door. Damn her being right.

I go into the master bedroom and just fall into the bed. Ugh, when did life become so complicated? I hear the bedroom door open.

"Jordan?"

Ugh, I do not feel like dealing with this right now.

"What?" I ask in a tired and aggravated tone.

"Jordan, please don't be mad at me," Tammy says in a sad voice. I can tell she's upset because she's saying my full name and not that goddamn "Jordy" mess.

"Not mad, just annoyed and slightly confused," I tell her. "Why would you do something like that?"

Tammy climbs on the bed and I can feel her straddling me. I take my arm off my eyes and look at her. Her eyes are red which means she's been crying. Now I feel bad.

"I'm sorry," she says. "It's just when you left the changing room so fast to go talk to Beth I got mad and jealous. I know what you had with her and I couldn't help it."

I prop myself up on my elbows. I place my hand behind Tammy's neck and pull her in for a kiss. Tammy's hands are on the back of my head, deepening the kiss. I pull away.

"I'm with you," I tell her.

Tammy is nodding her head like she understands. "I know but-."

"No buts. I'm with you because I want to be with you," I tell her.

"I'm sorry," she whispers.

"Shh," I tell her, placing a finger over her lips. "No more talking. Just show me the sexy underwear."

Tammy smiles and we start kissing again. Sometimes it's just better to have sex than to address the issue.

**Wednesday:  
**Tammy and I haven't brought up what happened at Forever 21. After the great make-up sex we had, we decided to forget about it. Alex however keeps giving me this look, the look saying she wants to say something but isn't going to. Alex and I are actually on the beach right now running.

"Ugh I hate running," I tell her.

"Really?" she asks. "I love it." She speeds up her pace.

"Hey, wait up!"

Alex chuckles but slows down her pace. "For an athlete I thought you'd be faster than this."

I take a swing at her but miss. "Shut up."

Alex chuckles again. "So my birthday is next week," she says and grins at me.

I throw my head back and groan. "Yes I know, how many times do you have to tell me? Jeez, I have it marked on my calendar, my cell phone, and Myspace keeps reminding me."

"Well this is me reminding you again," Alex says.

"Well stop it." I turn and Alex is no longer beside me. I turn my head around and she's about 20 feet behind me staring at the ocean. I jog back over to her. "Why'd you stop?"

"Do you think she'll call me?" Alex asks. Alex turns and looks at me. "I mean it'll be my birthday, she can't just not call me."

"You have to stop thinking about her!" I yell, sounding a bit harsh. "This is why you came to Florida with me. This is why you almost went to Ajax, because you didn't want to be near her or think about her. So just stop it."

Alex places her hands on her hips. "I just can't help it!" she exclaims. "I can't stop thinking about her. I can't stop thinking about what she's doing right now or maybe just maybe if she misses me as much as I'm missing her."

I place a hand on Alex's shoulder. "Right now you need to focus on you. Stop thinking about Paige, stop thinking about Canada. Just focus on you and what's going on right now in this moment. Live in the now, right?"

Alex smiles. "That was my motto last year eh?"

"Yeah it was. And tonight you will be living in the now because tonight we're hitting up Azucar."

"What is Azcucar?"

"It's a Latin gay club with a mixed crowd. Tonight is Lady Lovin' Ladies which means hopefully we can find a girl to hook you up with because it's the middle of Spring Break and all you've done is homework and reading."

"Hey, I went to Club Space on Saturday," Alex says, offended by my previous comment.

I'm nodding my head agreeing with her. "Yeah and we left early to go to the beach and talk about your feelings. Now you're going tonight and that's final."

Alex shrugs my arm off her shoulder. "Alright alright, you're right. I'll go out tonight and have a fun time."

"Yeah! That's what I'm talking about!" We fist pump and run back to the house.

Tonight is going to be awesome, I can feel it.

**Azucar:  
**Wow this place is packed. Like seriously I'm surprised we even got in. I have Tammy close to me with my arm around her waist. Alex is scoping out the place, hopefully looking for a hot girl to dance with. Rebecca is here too which is weird, and Bridget went to some other club with some friends. Some hip-hop Spanish music is playing but I have no idea what the song is talking about.

Everyone in the group is wearing the usual club attire, either short shorts or a short skirt with a halter top or tank top. But I'm wearing black Bermuda shorts and a red button down shirt with a black skinny tie. What? I think I look sexy, in my own cool way.

"I'm going to the bar!" Alex yells.

"Ok!" I yell back. "But do not spend all night there!" I give her a warning look and point at her.

"I'm not going to! Jeez!" Alex walks to the bar.

Tammy grabs my tie. "I'm ready to dance," she says seductively.

"Oh, well I was born ready!" I tell her and grin.

We find an empty spot on the dance floor and start dancing. By dancing I mean grinding. Tammy is facing me with one arm around my neck and my hands are on her hips.

"You're so hot tonight," I tell Tammy in her ear.

"You're so bad yourself," she answers back.

Tammy slips her knee in between my legs. Pure torture is what this woman likes to cause me on the dance floor. I lean into her and start kissing her neck. I hear her moan in my ear and I'm smiling to myself now. Two can play this game.

Have you ever had that feeling like someone is watching you? Well I have that feeling right now. I look up from Tammy. My heart is no longer beating. God is definitely punishing me now. Beth and I are looking straight at each other.

"Beth?" I say out loud but Tammy can't hear me because of the music.

She's walking away now. Crap, I gotta catch her. I get Tammy's attention.

"I'll be right back!" I tell her.

"Where are you going?!?"

"Bathroom!" I lie. "Go find some gay guy to dance with. I promise I'll be back in five minutes."

I'm running after Beth now, chasing her. She's weaving in and out of people and it's sort of hard to keep up because there are so many people here. She turns down a small hallway and I follow her. We're both standing in this small hallway, her back to me. There's nowhere for her to leave because I'm blocking the only exit.

"Beth," I start.

Beth turns around. God she looks amazing right now. "What are you doing here Jordan?" she asks. "Are you following me now?"

"What? No, I'm not following you," I tell her slightly offended. As If I have the time to stalk her. "I just want to talk," I tell her, pleading.

"Why talk to me when you're girlfriend is out there waiting for you? I mean by what she said last time we saw each other I didn't mean anything to you."

"Of course you meant something to me! I loved you, and I still do."

Beth laughs cruelly. "You love me?" she asks. "You're out there practically having sex with your clothes on and you have the nerve to tell me you love me?!?"

So many emotions are running through my body right now that I don't even know what to do or say.

"Answer one question for me Jordan since you love me so much. Did you sleep with her?"

I'm looking down at my feet, finding the floor really interesting right now.

"Yeah, that's what I thought," Beth says.

I look up at her with fire and sadness in my eyes. "Why are you even pissed? You're the one that broke up with me!"

----

_I've been in college now for about four weeks. I went down to Miami to see Beth two weeks ago and I'm missing her like crazy right now. We actually haven't talked in a few days which is really weird. Every time I call_ _her it goes straight to her voicemail. I open up my cell phone and dial her number.__I'll always love you as a friend._

_"Hello?" she answers the phone._

_"Hey you!" I greet her excitedly. "Long time no talk."_

_Beth sighs. Why did she just sigh._

_"Yeah…" she says._

_What's going on. "Beth what's wrong?"_

_"Nothing Jordan, it's just-."_

_I stand up from my bed quickly. "Just what? Is some douche bag bothering you down there. Seriously Beth I can get my grandfather's car and drive down to Miami right now if I need to."_

_"No Jordan, you don't need to do that."_

_"Good. Well then what's wrong?" I ask._

_There's silence on the phone line. Silence during a conversation like this is never good._

_"I think we should break up," Beth whispers._

_I think my heart has just stopped and the world away me is literally crumbling. I don't know what to say. No words will come out my mouth. I sit back down on my bed._

_"What?" I whisper in disbelief._

_"I think we should break up," she says again but this time more confident._

_"Why?" my voice cracks._

_"Jordan we go to two different schools seven hours away from each other. I'm meeting new people here in Miami and you're meeting new people and connecting with old friends. I just think it'd be easier for both of us if we didn't date anymore."_

_Tears are starting to fall down my face right now. My heart is literally breaking. I feel a pain in my chest and I know it's from my heart._

_"Jordan, please say something," Beth says._

_"Fine," I tell her and close my phone shut, ending the call. I start sobbing uncontrollably. I fall on my bed with my face in my pillow and start crying harder than I ever have before. Something is vibrating. I pull my phone from underneath my pillow. I open my phone and read the text message I've just been sent._

**I'll always love you as a friend.**

_I throw my phone unto the floor and cry harder into my pillow. Why does love hurt like this?_

----

I shrug my shoulders and look up at Beth, my eyes on the brick of tears. "Why Beth, just tell me why," I tell her.

Beth is walking toward me. "You wanna know why?" she asks me.

I nod my head.

"I loved you Jordan but I had to break your heart before you could break mine."

Ok, I am totally confused now. "What?"

Beth's eyes are shining and she's shaking her head now. "I saw the pictures on you Myspace Jordan, of you with all those girls. I saw the one of you kissing that girl. It's like I didn't matter to you anymore, like I didn't exist. So I had to break it off. I had to break your heart before you could break mine."

Pictures? What the hell is she talking about? Oh wait… Those pictures. "Beth-," I start.

She's holding up her hand silencing me. "I don't want to hear it Jordan. The past is the past and whatever we had is over."

She's walking past me but I grab her hand. "Please Beth, don't leave," I plead.

"I loved you so much Jordan, but I wasn't going to let you break my heart." She takes her hand away from mine and she's walking away now.

I'm standing here in the tiny hallway by myself. My world is crumbling all around me and I can't pick up the pieces and stick them back together. I'm walking back to the dance floor with my head hanging low. I finally look up so I won't accidentally walk into someone.

Oh my God. I can't believe her. A new emotion is running through my veins. Anger is quickly replacing the sadness I was just feeling. Beth is making out with some random girl right in front of me. I don't know if I'm more pissed that she's doing it or if I'm pissed because I think she's doing it to break me. Well you know what, fuck her. I don't need her.

I go back to the dance floor where I left Tammy. She's dancing with some random guy.

"Hey!" I yell, trying to get her attention.

Tammy turns around and smiles at me. "Hey! There you are."

I smile widely and place my hands on her waist. I plant my lips against hers. I feel Tammy's arms wrap around my neck and we deepen the kiss. I pull her closer to me to the point where there is almost no room between us. I open my eyes and Beth is looking right at me. I continue kissing Tammy but staring at Beth.

I pull away. "We should go back to the house," I tell her.

"Why?"

I lean down to whisper in her ear. "Because what I want to do to you right now would probably get us thrown out of the club."

Tammy raises an eyebrow. "Then let's go."

I'm leading Tammy off the dance floor. I spot Alex at the bar talking to some girl. I approach Alex.

"We're going back to the house," I tell her.

"Ok, I'll be back at the house later," she tells me but her focus is on the girl. "I have my cell."

"Ok, good."

Tammy and I are leaving the club now. I don't think I'll ever be coming back here.

**Back at the House:  
**Walking with a girl's legs wrapped around you is hard but I'm managing. Somehow I made it up the stairs with Tammy wrapped around me and I believe I should get some sort of prize for that talent. We're frantically kissing each other but there is no love from my end. The kisses I'm giving Tammy are full of anger for my ex. I don't care if Beth doesn't want me because Tammy does.

We finally reach our room. I practically throw Tammy on the bed. I quickly take off my shirt and pants.

"Jordan," Tammy says. "I lo-"

I cut Tammy off with my lips. There is no love in these kisses or the sex we're about to have. No love is radiating from me. I don't even want to hear the word love anymore. Because what this is right  
here is not love, but want and right now want is all I need.

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**A/N: So how was it? I hope you understood Beth's reason the way I wanted to get it across. It's the idea where you care about someone so much but when they're far away you start to question them and you sometimes become paranoid over the tiniest of things.**


	17. Happy Birthday To You!

**A/N:So the moment you have all been waiting for is in this chapter. hehe enjoy! and also it does go back and forth in time but you'll be able to figure out.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi.**

* * *

I've always been a good kid. I've always been the kid that listens to her parents because I hate the look of disappointment they give me when I fuck up. I've always been the one who would be able to control my anger. But this time, this time I was pushed too far. This time I wasn't able to control my anger and now two disappointed and angry faces are looking at me.

I turn my head and look at Alex. She's sporting a black eye, swollen and cut lip, and holding ice against her side. I have a piece of meat against my eye and ice on my knee. Both my grandparents are staring at us, furious.

"I don't know if I should yell or let you two go at it again until one of you kills the other," my grandfather says.

My grandma has her hands on her hips and is staring at me. "Jordan Athena Johnson, I know your parents taught you better than this!" she yells. She turns to Alex. "And you young lady! I know my daughter and son-in-law wouldn't have taken you in if you weren't a good kid."

"It's not-" I start.

My grandpa raises his hand, silencing me. "Just tell me what the hell happened."

I cross my arms. Alex and I look at each other but neither one of us is saying anything.

"Oh so now you're in some type of agreement?" my grandpa asks. "Go to your rooms. NOW!"

Alex and I both go up the stairs into our separate rooms. I lay down on the bed but wince in pain. Falling on a pile of rocks really hurts one's back. I don't even know how this happened. I'm not even sure how everything got so fucked up. Obviously there's a reason why they say alcohol is bad for you.

----------  
I started out yesterday like any other normal person would start out on the day of their best friend's, almost sister's, birthday. I was sitting on Alex's bed, starring at her sleeping face until she woke up. Alex slowly opened her eyes.

"AHH!" she screamed.

I grinned widely at her. "Hi," I said.

"What are you doing here? Besides giving me a heart attack."

"I just came by to say, Happy Birthday!"

Alex sat up and pushed me away from her gently. "A phone call would have been fine," she grumbled.

"Stop grumbling, today is your birthday." I brought the card I had been holding behind my back around and handed it to her. "Present time," I sung.

Alex gave me a shy smile and opened the card. Alex stared at the card and then looked at me. "Really?" she asked, pointing the card at me.

On the front of the car was a half naked guy whose package was almost bursting out of his underwear and the writing on the front said, _Wouldn't you like him as your birthday present?_ "Well I did get you a stripper for your birthday."

"You better not have."

"I figured it would bring back the memories of your straight days. Besides, you didn't even open the card yet."

Alex opened the card and busted out laughing. "Too bad he's gay," she read. Then she opened the gift card that came along with it. "$50 to Target. Thanks Jordan."

"No problem," I told her and we hugged. "Well I've got to be going. I have a big paper that's due on Monday."

"You're doing homework on my birthday?" Alex sounded a bit hurt.

I placed a hand on her shoulder. "We'll hang out later tonight, don't worry."

**At the Dorm:  
**I was sitting at my desk trying to focus on the finishing touches for Alex's surprise birthday party and not what happened in Miami. The rest of Spring Break is a blur. Alex started hanging out with the girl she met at the club, whose name I didn't know until last night, and I spent most of my time either drinking or having sex with Tammy. Let's just say the confrontation with Beth did not sit well with me.  
_  
Home, home on the range. Where the deer and the antelope play._

That was my grandparents calling me. I answered the phone.

"Hey," I said.

"Hey Stinky," my grandmother greeted me.

"Hi Grandma. What's up?"

"Well your grandfather and I have the house all set up for your party for Alex."

"Thank you Grandma, I really appreciate it and I know Alex will too."

"Of course sweetie. Alex is part of the family now. But Jordan, your grandfather and I do not want to come back to our house tomorrow with it looking like a mess."

"Grandma, don't worry about it. It won't get out of control, I promise."

"Alright Jordan Athena Johnson. I'm trusting you. I love you."

"Love you too Grandma. And tell Grandpa I love him."

"Alright, bye." My grandma ended the call.

I closed my phone. My grandparents were going to Orlando to visit my uncle, their son, and agreed to let me use the house to throw Alex a surprise birthday party. Nothing big of course, just some music, food, friends and maybe just a little bit alcohol which turned out to be a lot of alcohol. It was a Saturday night so I was expecting a good turn out.

After I ended the phone call with my grandma I heard knocking at my door.

"Come in!" I yelled.

The door opened and Tammy walked in. "Hey baby," she greeted me. Tammy walked over to my desk, leaned down, and kissed me on the cheek.

I looked up at her. "All I get is a kiss on the cheek?" I asked, disappointed.

Tammy smiled at me and leaned back down. We started to kiss and I placed a hand around her neck and deepened the kiss. I stood up and sort of push her back against the bed. I started kissing her down her neck, already in the mood.

"Jordy, we don't have time for this," she half-moaned.

"Oh we always have time for sex," I told her. "It's called a quickie," I whispered in her ear.

Tammy pushed me back. She looked a little flustered and I smirked at her.

"Are you sure you're not up for that quickie?" I asked.

"As much as I would love that we have other things to focus on," she told me seriously.

I walked back toward her. "But at the party when everyone is busy we can sneak upstairs to one of the empty bedrooms." I placed my hands on her waist and raised an eyebrow. "And it wouldn't have to be a quickie."

"Maybe," she said.

I kissed her and then pulled away. "I'll take that as a yes." I walked back over to my desk and sat down focusing on the list I had.

Tammy stood behind me and placed her arms around my neck. She placed her head on my shoulder and looked down at the list.

"How's it going?" she asked.

"Well everything is pretty much done," I told her. "I just have to get to the house and make sure everything is set up correctly."

"That's good. It's really nice your doing all of this for Alex."

"Well she is my best friend and almost sister. Plus she's been through a lot and I want this birthday to rock her socks off."

Tammy kissed me on the cheek. "I bet it will."  
_  
She's the girl all the bad guys want. Yeah, she's the girl all the bad guys want._

"Hey hey birthday girl," I said when I answered the phone.

"Hey," Alex said. "So you won't believe who just called to wish me a Happy Birthday."

My body froze, afraid of the answer. "Who?" I asked.

"Marco Del Rossi," she told me.

I sighed in relief. "Well that was nice of him," I told her.

"Yeah and Ellie called earlier this morning and I just spoke to your mom and dad."

"Who are almost your mom and dad."

Alex chuckled, the thought of us about to be sisters made us both laugh. "Yeah, mom says that the baby is doing great and dad told me not to party too much tonight. Which reminds me, what are we doing tonight?"

Brian would be the one to slip up. Alex had no idea what we were going to be doing. She had just got done hanging out with that one girl and I had Amy keeping her busy for the time being. "Go to the hottest club in Tallahassee," I told her.

"I wasn't aware that Tallahassee had hot clubs."

"All of Florida has hot clubs."

"If you say so. Amy just pulled up, so I got to go. But I'll see you later?"

"Yeah. Oo and let Amy but you a nice dress. It'd really make her happy."

"We'll see. Later."

"Later." I closed my phone, ending the call. I turned and looked at Tammy. "Let's go to the house and get everything set up."

"Ok."

Tammy and I left my dorm heading to my grandparents' house to set up for the party. A party that would reveal things that should have stayed hidden.

I get up from the bed and walk over to the mirror in the corner of the room. Oh my God I look bad. I also look stupid with a piece of meat on the side of my face. I take the meat off my eye.  
OH MY GOD! My eye is dark purple and swollen like crazy. I can barely open it. I also have a bruise on my right cheek. Well I look very unattractive; thank God I don't need to try to pick up any girls. Although after last night I'm not even sure if I even have a girlfriend anymore.

-------  
Tammy and I were at the house making sure everything was being set up correctly.

"So why do your grandparents have a sound proof room again?"

I shrug my shoulders. "Do we really want to know the answer?"

Tammy shuttered, probably thought about the possible answer. "God no."

We were in the sound proof room with people helping us set up. My friend Andrew was setting up the speakers and the DJ table. My friend Josh approached me.

"Did ya get the alcohol?" I asked him.

"Yeah me and my brothers got it," Josh said. Josh is in Kappa Alpha Rho fraternity, or as most of us call them, KAPs.

"How much did you get?"

"We have five kegs and enough alcohol to make two tubs of jungle juice."

"This is a birthday party, not a frat party," I tell Josh. "We need more juice than beer."

Josh threw his hands up. "You didn't specify what to get. You just told us to get alcohol."

I place a hand on Josh's shoulder. "You're lucky I like you and your brothers so much and that I need alcohol and people to serve it."

Josh gave me an All-American boy smile. I told him to bring the alcohol in and to set it up. I looked around the room. The decorations were being put up by Tammy's sorority sisters and the food tables were set up and there was enough space for a dance floor. I called catering to make sure the food and cake were ready and were going to be here on time. Everything seemed to be going according to plan. I was ready to party.

**Hours Later:  
**Everyone was in the party room waiting for Alex's arrival. I told Amy to bring Alex to the house around eight. I checked my watched and sighed angrily. It was 8:15, I'm really anal about time. Just then I had gotten a text message from Amy.  
_  
We're here._

"They're here!" I told everyone. "I'm going to go get Alex so everyone try to hide behind each other or something.

I went to the front door to greet Amy and Alex as they were walking in.

"Hey!" Alex greeted me in surprise. "I didn't expect you to be here."

I threw my hands up in the air. "I just wanted to say Happy Birthday and help you get ready for the club." Amy raised an eyebrow at me. Yeah I knew that was a bad excuse but I couldn't think of anything else at the time.

"Umm ok," Alex said, sounding like she believed me. "There are a lot of cars outside."

I nodded my head. "Yeah, the neighbors are having a poker night at their house. You know how Mr. Payne is with his poker."

"Oh yeah. Your grandfather said that Mr. Payne still owes him $100."

"Shit, Mr. Payne owes me some money," I told her.

Amy cleared her throat and looked at me, signaling that I needed to get on with getting Alex to the party. I nodded my head and smiled at Alex.

"So we need to go to the sound proof room because I have something in there for you."

"Ok…" Alex said unsure.

I walked to the room with Alex and Amy following behind me. I opened the door slowly and let Alex walk in before me.

"SURPRISE!" everyone jumped out and said.

"What the hell," Alex said.

"Happy Birthday!" everyone said and the DJ started playing Justin Timberlake's _SexyBack_.

Alex walked down the stairs and everyone started approaching her and wishing her a happy birthday. I had invited my friends from school that Alex knew, Alex's friends from her school, and some  
people who just wanted to party and would bring birthday gifts. Alex wore this huge grin on her face which resulted in me wearing a huge grin on my face.

I went to the alcohol stand while Alex was still talking to people. Josh handed me a camp of jungle juice and I drowned it and immediately asked for another. Josh gave me a weird look.

"No looks from you mister," I told him. "I'm paying you to serve and pour, not judge."

Josh threw up his hands in surrender. "Yes ma'am," he said and poured me another cup of jungle juice.

"Jordan!" I heard someone yell over the music.

It was Alex and she was walking toward me with the girl from the club back in Miami. I put on smile, bracing myself for an introduction.

"Jordan this is Sage, Sage this is Jordan," Alex said, introducing us.

I looked at the girl a little taken aback from her appearance. She seemed preppy and her hair was dirty blonde and at that moment I couldn't tell what color her eyes were but I later found out they're green. My first thought about her name was, "What the fuck is her name?" Yeah, I was taken aback from that and I pretty sure my face showed it.

"Yeah, it's not a very common name," Sage said.

"Yeah, I can't say I know too many Sages." I quirked an eyebrow, contemplating what I just said because it sounded weird. I shook Sage's hand. "Well it's very nice to meet you."

"Likewise," she said and smiled.

I clapped my hands loudly. "Well I will be right back," I told the couple. I walked over to the DJ stage and told the DJ to cut the music and then I took the microphone. "Alright party people it is time for  
the moment we have all been waiting for. Time for birthday cake!"

Tammy and her sorority sisters walked into the room carrying a cake with 19 lit candles on it as we all started to sing to Alex.

"Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday dear Alex! Happy birthday to YOU!"

Alex had her hand covering her mouth and her eyes were shining. My heart felt warm and I couldn't stop smiling. I was ecstatic that Alex was happy. Alex closed her eyes to make a wish and then blew out all the candles. Everyone clapped and wooted.

I walked up to Alex with the microphone in hand. "Now unfortunately we are not in Canada but in America but that doesn't mean we can't follow Canada's laws just for this one night," I told Alex and the crowd. Josh's frat brother Chris brought a cooler to my side. "Now for those of you that don't know, in our hometown of Toronto the drinking age is 19. Seeing as Alex is now 19 and Canadian she is now legally allowed to drink. So I had a very special present shipped here from Ontario." I opened the cooler and lifted a bottle out. "Here is a bottle of all-natural premium beer from Cameron's Brewing Company." I opened the bottle and handed it to Alex. "Drink up homie."

Alex drunk the bottle and when she was done we all cheered like she had just won a contest. We started cutting up pieces of cake as the DJ went back to playing dancing music. I went back to the bar and grabbed another cup of jungle juice and a look from Josh.

"Shut yo face frat boy," I ordered him.

I should have stopped then but I didn't want to. The alcohol started to have its affects on me. I started feeling a little light headed and giddy, I could walk straight though and to me that meant I was ok. I went looking for Tammy and found her talking with Rebecca.

"There's my beautiful girlfriend," I half-slurred.

"Are you drunk?" Rebecca asked with attitude and disgust in her voice.

I narrowed my eyes at her. "That depends, are you a bitch?"

"Jordan!" Tammy exclaimed.

I threw up a hand. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked. I mean I already know the answer."

Tammy started pushing me away. "Ok that's enough from you," she told me. Tammy pulled me off to some corner. "How much have you had to drink?"

"Not much," I told her. I pushed a strand of hair behind her ear and got closer to her. "I've missed you."

"Jordy…"

I started kissing her neck, if I remember correctly they were sloppy kisses. "Ya know we could go upstairs right now and no one would notice," I said trying to sound sexy but probably sounded stupid.

Tammy put a hand out pushing me gently. "You're drunk," she said simply.

I shook my head, disagreeing with her. "I'm not drunk," I told her. "I could perfectly ride a bike right now." I leaned in to whisper in her ear. "Or you could ride my fingers."

"Ok ew," Tammy said in what sounded like her preppy snob voice.

"Oh, but any other time you're all over this," I practically yelled.

"Jordan, you need to stop drinking," she said sternly.

"No I don't!" I yelled and threw my arms up into the air. "Because this is my best friend's birthday party. It's a celebration!" I drank the last bit of juice left in my cup and crushed the cup. "This is who you wanted to be with so get use to it!" I told her and walked away.

Somehow I found Alex and Sage in the crowd and approached them. Alex noticed me and a grin suddenly appeared on her face. Alex engulfed me in a giant hug, knocking the wind out of me.

"Thank you so much!" she said.

I waved my hand at her like it was no big deal. "Anything for my best friend and almost sister." I turned my attention to Sage. "So Sage can I ask you something?"

"Sure," she answered.

"What color are your eyes?"

"Um, green. Why do you ask?"

"Hmm, no reason." I looked at Alex and raised my eyebrow at her. Alex looked back at me which a confused look on her face. "Sage is really close to Paige."

"Who's Paige?" Sage asked.

Alex looked at me, a look that was probably telling me to shut up. But the alcohol kept me talking.

"This girl back in Canada, funny story actually…"

"No one wants to hear it Jordan," Alex interrupted me.

I remember trying to say something and then Alex grabbed my arm and pulled me outside.

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "What?" I ask innocently. "I just wanted to tell a story."

"No one wants to hear about Paige," Alex said angrily.

"Are you angry because she didn't call you?"

Alex's face fell, telling me I was correct.

"I'll tell you why she didn't call you, because she's afraid."

A look of confusion appeared on Alex's face. "Afraid of what?"

I laughed a little, drunken laugh. "She called back in January and I answered the phone. I told her if she ever called you again I would change your number and make sure she never got it." I  
continued laughing like a drunk idiot.

Alex quickly approached me. "Why would you do that?!" Alex asked angrily.

"Because I was protecting you, duh."

Alex started walking away from me and I followed. She turned around and looked at me with anger in her eyes. "No, you're not invited back in!"

A look of confusion appeared on my face. "What? What do you mean I'm not invited back in?"

"This is my birthday party and you are no longer welcomed!" Alex went in and slammed the door in my face.

I slumped down on the porch wondering what I had done wrong. At some point I fell asleep, still sitting out on the porch.

**Next Morning:**  
I woke up to the most killer headache in the world and ice cold water hitting my face.

"What the fuck!" I yelped as I jumped up.

Alex was standing over me with a hose in her hand, smiling. "Morning," she said in a fake sweet tone.

I stood up. "What the hell is your problem?" I asked angrily. "Why would you wake me up like that?" I started looking around me. "And why the fuck was I sleeping outside?"

"Hmm well let's see, you decided to get drunk off your ass last night and admitted that you kept a phone call from me so I kicked your ass out of my party and you fell asleep out here."

I started rubbing my head, bits and pieces of the night coming back to me. "I kept that phone call from you to protect you."

"Protect me from what?"

"Protect you from Paige! Look at you!" I said pointing to her. "You're seeing some chick who looks like Paige and whose name is Sage. Really Alex? Come on!"

Alex pointed a finger at me. "Don't judge me Jordan, you have no right! Look at you! You're off fucking some girl you don't even like because Beth broke up with you." Alex started laughing. "Talk about pathetic!"

I started to get angry and approached Alex. "Pathetic? You want to talk about someone being pathetic. I had to take your ass in because you were planning on moving to Ajax because Paige kicked  
your sorry ass out. Now that's pathetic." I scoffed at her. "You're pathetic."

Alex shoved me. "Take it back!"

I shoved her back. "Make me."

We started pushing each other until we both fell off the porch. Alex was on top of me and then I pushed her off.

"You're pathetic Nuñez," I said with venom dripping from my voice. "You're trying to get with some girl who reminds you of Paige. Shit, even her name is almost the same. Who the hell names their child Sage?"

Alex chuckles angrily. "Well at least I'm not drowning myself in alcohol while fucking some girl I don't even like. Wow, you're reminding me of my mother. Now who's more pathetic, me or you?"

"Still you. All you did in Miami was bitch and moan about how Paige hadn't called you." I started fake-crying, mocking her. "Boohoo, cry me a fucking river."

"Well maybe if someone hadn't kept a phone call away from me!"

"If I had told you that Paige called and said she misses you, you would have done the same thing you always do. You would have ran back into her arms and taken her back without even thinking about the consequences. I'm not sorry for what I did because I know I was protecting you."

"Protecting me? PROTECTING ME?!?" Before I even saw her fist I saw stars.

The punch caught me off guard. I covered my eye and gaped at her. Then something inside of me woke up.

"AHH!" I yelled and punched Alex back, right in the mouth. We started going at it, throwing punches and kicking each other. Most of our punches landed in each other's faces while the kicks landed in our legs. At one point I landed my fist right in her eye. I was on top of Alex yelling at her as she struggled.

"You're my family Alex!" I yelled. "Family protects each other!

We rolled and I landed in a pile of rocks, hence why my back hurts. Alex grabbed the collar of my shirt.

"I don't need you protecting me all the time," Alex said.

"Yes you do, because you keep making the same damn mistakes over and over." I pushed her off of me and she landed on her back in the grass.

"You act like you're so goddamn perfect Jordan. Obviously you're not or else Beth wouldn't have broken up with you."

That sent me over the edge. Anger overtook my whole body as I ran over to where Alex was and just started hitting her.

"You don't know anything!" I yelled as I started to cry angry tears.

Somehow Alex was able to push me off of her and put me in a head lock.

"Let me go Alex!" I yelled as I started elbowing her in her side.

"What is going on here!" I heard my grandpa yell behind us.

That's when my grandparents ran over to us and had to pry us apart. My grandma was holding me back while my grandpa was trying to hold Alex back.

"I'm going to effin kill you Alex because you don't know shit!" I yelled.

"Calm down Jordan!" my grandma yelled.

I wasn't thinking clearly. All I had set in my mind of hurting Alex for what she said.

------  
I'm looking at myself in the mirror, staring at my black eye. I touch the area and wince in pain. That shit really hurts. I open my bedroom door to go to the bathroom to get some stuff for my bruises. Alex is standing in the hallway as well.

She's holding her side and icing her eye. I don't know who looks worse, me or her.

"You look like shit," she says.

"Yeah, well so do you."

Alex sighs. "You shouldn't have kept that phone call from me. Especially this long."

"And what would you have done if I had told you Paige called?"

"I don't know, called her back."

I chuckle and shake my head. "Tell me Alex, why'd you even come to Florida? If it was to forget about Paige then you're doing a pretty shitty job."

"Jordan-"

"No Alex, listen. Paige kicked you out. She chose her job over you and then proceeded to KICK you out. No offense Alex but don't you think that's just a little fucked up? Besides if Paige really missed you don't you think she would have tried calling you again?"

Alex is just looking at me, saying nothing.

"Go ahead and use the bathroom. It seems like you need it more than I do." I'm walking back to my room.

"Jordan," Alex calls out my name.

I turn around and look at her.

"Stop drowning yourself in alcohol and stop being with Tammy if you don't like her. Just because Beth broke your heart doesn't give you the right to break Tammy's."

I don't say anything to her. Instead I go to back to my room and once again I'm looking at myself in the mirror thinking about who I've become.

* * *

**A/N: So I don't exactly knwo what I'm going to do with the next chapter but I do know it will be more Alex centric and only two more chapter left in their first year of college because for real for real we need to move forward in time. mhm**


	18. First Love

**A/N: Finals, family, looking for a job, summer school, Glee, no inspiration. You pick which one you think kept me from updating this story. This is one of those chapters that I didn't want to write but needed to be written to continue the story so I hope you like it. =)**

**Disclaimer: What even happened this season on Degrassi?**

* * *

You never forget your first love. First love is defined as "the first person you ever had feelings for. It doesn't matter if it happened when you were five, or fifty-five. It doesn't matter if he or she loved you back. All that matters is that at one point in time, he or she was the first person you ever loved and wanted to be with."

It's a week after the whole birthday fiasco. My father skyped Alex and me later that afternoon after my grandparents chewed us out and said we were both grounded. He said that they way we behaved was unacceptable. Of course being that my father is in a different country and I'm a college student living on campus, the grounding meant little to me.

I'm walking, well limping, to the park near my grandparent's house. I know Alex is there and I need to talk to her. We haven't had an actual full-fledge conversation since our WWE match last week. There's so much to say but things that probably neither one of us want to say. I'm standing on top of the hill and I see Alex sitting on the bench near the pond. Well I guess it's now or later. Now would probably be best.

I'm limping down the hill, wincing with every step I take. My knee still hurts from the fight and my deep purple black eye has started to heal.

"Hey," I greet Alex.

She turns around and looks at me. "Hey," she says back.

I sit down on the bench next to her.

"I see your knee is still messed up," she says.

"Yeah well usually when one gets kicked in the knee and then falls on it, it doesn't heal that quickly," I tell her.

"You deserved it," she says simply.

I sigh. I really don't want to argue with her.

"Christie Shultz."

Alex looks at me, confused. "What?" she asks.

"I came out of the closet to my mom when I was ten years old. My mom said she already knew and she would love me no matter what. When I entered middle school I refused to hide who I was so I came out of the closet to everyone. Of course with it being middle school some of my classmates hated me because they didn't understand and their parents would judge me and say I was a bad kid although I was polite, made straight A's in school, and had participated in numerous activities with their kids since I was three."

"Jordan what does this have to do with anything?"

I hold my hand up, silencing her. "Shh, let me finish. The middle of 6th grade Christie Shultz entered my life. She was smart, funny, nice, and really popular. She was always really nice to me and for that I liked her. I became infatuated with this girl. I approached her one day after school when no one was around at the corner of the courtyard where no one could see us. I told her how I felt about her and I hoped she wouldn't think I was weird since I had a crush on her. Christie actually surprised me by telling me she didn't think I was weird and then she kissed me."

"Wait," Alex says. "You were 11 when you first kissed a girl?"

I shrug my shoulders. "I matured fast. We started "dating" after that. Not much happened, not much could happen. We were in middle school and Christie was still in the closet because no matter how popular you were it was not ok to be anything other than straight in middle school. We eventually broke up which broke my little 6th grader heart."

Alex is looking at me still not sure what my little story has to do with anything.

"The point is, I still think about Christie and I still miss her. She was my first love and there'll always be a special place in my heart for her." I place a hand on Alex's shoulder. "I'm saying that I get it. Paige was your first love and you still miss her. I get that Alex, I do but I'm trying to help you get over her and the way to get over her is not by dating some girl that looks like her and whose name is pretty damn close to hers."

Alex is looking at me intensely. She's starting to weird me out. "Did you ever think that maybe I really like Sage? That maybe her having the same hair and eye color as Paige and her name being close to her has nothing to do with my feelings for her?"

"But Alex, the coincidence," I start.

Alex shrugs my hand off her shoulder."Yeah I know but Sage is the one that approached me in the club that night and I didn't even know what her name was until I left the club and she put her number in my phone. She's really nice and I like hanging out with her. Also, she thinks I'm funny."

I quirk an eyebrow. "She thinks you're funny?" I ask. "Wow this girl must be crazy."

Alex playfully punches my arm. "I can be funny."

I chuckle and nod my head slightly. "Sure you can."

We've fallen into silence. Not awkward, but no comfortable either. I guess I should say what I need to say.

"I'm sorry for keeping Paige's call from you and for telling her not to call you back," I tell Alex.

Alex shrugs her shoulders. "I just don't get why you did it," she tells me. "I know you told me it was to protect me but you keep acting like I'm the same Alex from last year that kept making mistakes left and right. Jordan, I've changed and you have to stop treating me like a lost puppy."

I'm nodding my head because I completely understand what Alex is saying. In my mind she's sort of still the same girl I met. Making mistakes and needing me to help her fix those mistakes. I look at Alex and see the person she's become. She dresses more like a grown woman now and she's let her hair grow out. Not only is her appearance different but so is her personality. She knows what she wants for her future and she's going after it.

"Let me make it up to you," I tell her sincerely. "How about we double date tonight, my treat?" I flash my million dollar smile.

"I guess since you're suggesting a double date that means you're still with Tammy."

I'm nodding my head. "Yes I'm still with Tammy."

"And you talk aboot me…"

"I like Tammy I do. If I didn't like her than I wouldn't be with her."

"But do you love her?" Alex asks with a questioning look on her face.

I shrug my shoulder. "Why do I have to love her to be with her?"

"Because if you don't love her that means you're still in love with Beth and you shouldn't be with Tammy if you're still in love with someone else."

"Maybe we should drop this before one of us drop kicks the other," I say sternly.

Alex is nodding her head. "Fine, but just know I think this is going to come back and bite you in the ass."

"Ever since I moved to Canada everything has been coming back to bite me in the ass," I mutter.

**Later:  
**I'm not one of those people where I don't know how to apologize. I can say "I'm sorry" without cringing. I just hate that I have to apologize for doing something so ridiculous. Life has just been kicking my butt this past month.

I'm standing in front of Tammy's dorm room right now. She hasn't talked to me since Alex's birthday party. She hasn't answered any of my phone calls or my text messages. I saw some of her sorority sisters the other day and they all gave me the evil eye. I knock on Tammy's door, breathing nervously.

Tammy opens the door and she's looking at me with her hand on her hip. "What do you want?" she asks.

"I came to apologize," I say sincerely.

"What if I don't want to hear your apology?"

"Tammy just hear me out, please," I plead.

"Fine, you have 60 seconds."

I nod my head. "I'm sorry for the way I acted at Alex's party. I had way too much to drink, but that's not a good excuse. I'm sorry I acted like a drunken ass bitch and I shouldn't have said the things I said that night." I take Tammy's hands and hold them. "Please forgive me."

Tammy is just looking at me with an unreadable face. I think she's thinking about whether to forgive me or not.

"You embarrassed me and made me feel like crap," Tammy says in a hurt voice.

As if I didn't already feel bad enough, now I feel worse.

"I'm sorry. I know I can't take it back but I promise to never do it ever again because you don't deserve that." I pull Tammy into a hug and I can feel her relaxing into my arms.

"You're still not off the hook Jordy," Tammy mutters.

I chuckle. "I didn't think so," I tell her. "And that's why we're going out to dinner tonight."

Tammy backs away from me a little with shining eyes. "We're going out to dinner?"

I'm nodding my head. "Yep, you, Alex, Sage, and I are going to Olive Garden. My treat of course."

"So this is a double date?"

"It's my way of apologizing for my behavior at the party and I know nothing about Alex's new friend, or girlfriend, or whatever she is."

"Alright, but I get to order whatever I want."

"Of course, it would be too weird if you didn't." I kiss Tammy's forehead. "I'll pick you up at 7:30"

"Ok," Tammy says.

We quickly share a kiss and now I'm leaving. That wasn't too hard.

**Later that Night:  
**I'm in Alex's room at my grandparents' house waiting for her to get ready. I don't know what's taking her so long, this isn't the first date she's been on with Sage**.**

"Alex come one!" I yell. "It's a Saturday night and no one cooks in this town on a Saturday night so Olive Garden is already going to be packed!"

Alex walks into the room while putting in her hoop earrings. "Maybe I want to look nice."

I raise an eyebrow. "It's Olive Garden, not Cypress Restaurant."

"Doesn't mean I still can't look nice," Alex says. Alex puts on some shoes. "I'm ready," she announces. She's wearing black dress pants and a button down loose red blouse with red dress shoes. I look closely at Alex's face. I think she's wearing makeup. Her hair is also curled.

I get up off the bed. "Ok," I start. "Look at you and look at me."

Alex looks me up and down. I'm wearing plain old jeans, a FSU shirt, white tennis shoes and my hair is in a simple pony tail.

"I look like I'm going to Olive Garden," I tell her. "You look like you're going to some fancy restaurant for a first date."

"I just want to look nice," she says again. "There's nothing wrong with that."

"Yeah, ok. Anyway, first we'll pick up Tammy and then we'll get Sage."

Alex nods her head. "Jordan, please don't embarrass me."

I point a finger at myself. "Who me?" I ask. "I would never…"

Alex crosses her arms and is giving me a knowing look. I throw my hands up.

"Ok, jeez."

We climb into my grandfather's car and drive to the campus to pick Tammy and Sage up.

**Olive Garden:  
**Alex, Sage, Tammy, and I are sitting in a booth at Olive Garden right now. We're talking but it's mostly small talk.

"I don't know if I said this already Alex but you look really nice tonight," Sage tells Alex.

Alex smiles widely and I think she might be blushing. "Thanks Sage, so do you," she says.

Alex is looking at me giving me the "I told you so" look. Whatever, I still say it's a bit much for Olive Garden.

"So Sage, where are you from?" I ask.

"Miami," she says.

"Really?" I ask. "Why'd you decided to leave that exciting city to come to FSU?"

"Well Miami is one of those cities where after growing up in it every now and then you wanna leave the tourists behind and see something new. Plus it's nice to live somewhere now where I don't have to worry about my neighborhood flooding every time a big storm hits."

I laugh a little bit. "That is true. What do your parents do?"

"My dad owns a couple of car dealerships and my mom is a teacher."

"That's cool." I look at Alex silently telling her that I'm doing my job by not embarrassing her.

"So Jordan, Sage starts. "Can you tell me something interesting about Alex?"

Alex's eyes widen and she's looking at me. "I will kill you," she mouths.

"Hmm," I'm tapping my chin as if I'm thinking. "She's a wicked lacrosse player."

"Really?" Sage turns to Alex. "I didn't know you play lacrosse."

Alex shrugs her shoulders. "Nothing serious," she says nonchalantly.

"Well maybe we should play sometime," Sage says.

"You play lacrosse?"

Sage nods her head. "I play a lot of things." She smirks at Alex.

Alrighty then, I'm going to go ahead and say there was a sexual meaning in there somewhere.

"So how long have you two known each other?" Sage asks me and Tammy.

"Jordan and I have known each other forever it seems," Tammy answers.

"6th grade," I answer.

"That is a long time," Sage says. "When did you two get together?"

"January," Tammy answers. "But we've had feelings for each other way longer than that. It just seems that fate wanted us to wait." Tammy is rubbing my arm affectionately.

Alex and I are looking at each other probably thinking the same thing now. I don't know if its fate that wanted us to wait or maybe fate knew all along that we're not meant for each other and there's someone else out there for me.

"So Jordan I remember you mentioning the name Paige at Alex's birthday party," Sage says. "Who is she?"

Oh shit, oh shit. Alex is giving me this look telling me not to fuck this up.

"Um uh," I stammer. "Just this girl Alex and I went to high school with."

"Isn't she Alex's ex girlfriend?" Tammy asks.

"OW!" I yell. Pain, excruciating pain is running through my leg. I look at Alex, knowing she's the one that just kicked my leg. I cannot control what comes out of Tammy's mouth; she should know that by now.

"Jordy, are you ok?" Tammy asks.

"I'm fine," I say through clenched teeth. That's going to leave a bruise. "I have to use the bathroom," I tell the table. I look at Alex.

"Me too," Alex says.

We both get out of the booth. "Don't say anything interesting while we're gone," I tell Sage and Tammy while looking at Tammy.

Alex and I enter the women's bathroom and lucky for us no one else is in here. I turn to Alex and I'm shooting daggers at her with my eyes.

"Maybe you're a fast healer but I'm not," I tell her. "I don't need you kicking my healing leg!"

"Well maybe you should control your girlfriend."

"Number one, no one can control what comes out of her mouth, trust me. Number two, why haven't you told Sage about Paige yet? Keeping things from your girlfriend does not help build a strong healthy relationship."

"Oh hey Sage my ex Paige is this girl that I was madly in love with but broke my heart numerous times," Alex says pretending to be telling this to Sage. "And no offense Jordan but you should be the last one giving advice about healthy relationships."

"Ok, no attacking me tonight. Right now we're talking about you, not me. You're going to have to tell her about Paige sooner or later. I'm not saying you should tell her everything that went done between you two. Hell, you don't even have to tell her about half that stuff that went down between you two, but you do have to at least tell Sage about her. You can't keep Paige a secret, you can't keep your past a secret."

"I know,' Alex says. "I just wanted to wait till I absolutely know what it is I'm doing with Sage. I mean our relationship isn't exactly set in stone right now."

I sigh. "Do you like this girl?"

Alex nods her head. "Yeah," Alex answers,

"She's isn't another rebound girl like Carla was, is she?"

Alex is shaking her head no. "No, she isn't. I think I could really fall for this girl."

"Then I say go for it. Just don't hide who you are. I'm not saying tell her everything now but at least tell her who Paige is."

Alex is nodding her head and I know we both agree on that now. We're heading to the door, about the leave the bathroom.

"Jordan wait," Alex says.

I turn around. "Yeah?"

"Break up with Tammy," she tells me in a serious tone.

"Alex…"

"I'm not saying this because I don't like her and I'm not saying this for your sake but for her sake. She's obviously falling in love with you. She's probably **already** in love with you."

I'm shaking my head, disagreeing with Alex. "Alex, you're crazy. Tammy and I have only been together for three months. Not even three months yet."

Alex is shaking her head disagreeing with me. "You can tell by the way she looks at you Jordan. Tammy is looking at you the same way you and Beth use to look at each other, the same way I use to look at Paige." Alex walks up to me and puts a hand on my shoulder. "Break up with her now or you're going to break her heart and you and I both know you won't be able to live with yourself knowing you broke someone's heart."

I grab Alex's hand from my shoulder and pat it.. "I appreciate the advice but I think you may be reading too much into it. Now let's get back out there before Tammy says something really stupid that neither one of us will be able to explain or make up for."

We both leave the bathroom and head back to the booth. Alex and I both sit down in our previous seats. Sage smiles at Alex and Alex smiles back. Aw they look cute together. I look at Tammy and she's smiling widely at me. She can't be in love with me right? Right?

**Later that Night:  
**Dinner was a blast, besides the random comments from Tammy. Sage actually seems like a pretty cool girl and although she's looks like Paige there are significant differences between the two. For example, Paige is really into fashion where Sage is really into sports. She says she's a big fan of the Miami Heat and then her and I got into a discussion about which team is better, the Lakers or the Heat. We all know the Lakers are the greatest basketball team in the world. Then Alex interrupted us saying that basketball is boring and hockey is better. So then we got into an argument about which sport is better with Tammy saying little to nothing the whole time.

We're in the car now and I'm dropping everyone off. I reach Sage's dorm first.

"First stop, Dorman Hall," I announce. I'm looking into the review mirror to the back seat where Alex and Sage are sitting together.

"I know Jordan is your ride home but do you maybe want to come inside and see my room?" Sage asks sort of shyly.

Alex looks to at me through the mirror and I wave her off.

"If it gets too late and you need a place to crash then just call Amy and she'll pick you up and either take you home or take you back to the dorm room," I tell Alex.

Alex is nodding her head and smiling. "Ok," she tells me. "I'd love to see your room," Alex tells Sage.

They're climbing out of the car. I roll down the window as they're walking away. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" I yell out the window.

I can't see that well because it's dark but I'm pretty sure Alex just gave me the finger. I laugh and now I'm driving Tammy and me to her dorm.

"Sage seems nice," Tammy says as we're walking to her room.

"Mhm," I say agreeing with her.

Tammy unlocks the door and we walk into her room. As usually her roommate isn't here.

"Is your roommate ever here?" I ask her.

"No," Tammy answers. She raises an eyebrow. "Are you complaining?"

I smirk at her. "Of course not," I tell her. "I'm just pointing it out." I bring Tammy closer to me and kiss her. As usual this kiss is getting heated and it's about to turn into something else. Tammy pulls away and I pout.

She's looking into my eyes and I do not like the look she's giving me. Oh no…

"Jordan," she starts. "I love you."

SHIT!

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**A/N: So in about three chapters Paige will finally make an appearance yay! Also I was thinking the other day and it came to me that some of you might have questions about Jordan's past. So I'm allowing everyone that reviews to ask one question about Jordan if they want and I'll answer it. I'll try to post the next chapter ASAP! =) please remember to review!**


	19. Can't Think Of A Song Title For This Ch

**A/N: So I decided to update early because you guys reviewed the last chapter really fast and that just made my day. So only one person asked a question and now I will answer it.**

**nilegirl: Hmm... I wonder this myself a lot. Jordan is a very strong opinionated person and she thinks she's right about everything and hates being wrong and when she is wrong she doesn't want to admit it, so that's probably where the stubbornness came from. As for her being a tomboy, Jordan grew up with most of her friends being guys because she use to play basketball and hockey all the time where all the other little girls played with Barbies. Jordan has grown up and become a little more girly but she'll always be a tomboy.**

**Alrighty, on to the story! Also I couldn't come up with a song title for this chapter because this chapter is just all over the place. lol**

**Disclaimer: Does anyone even know what happened to Degrassi this past season? I don't know because I don't own it. =) **

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My parents have always told me to only say, "I love you" if I truly and deeply mean it. I've only said "I love you" to two people in a romantic way and that was Christie and Beth. Of course at the tender age of 11 I really did believe I was in love with Christie and I know in my heart that I'm loved Beth and I still love her. That is exactly why I'm standing here in this dilemma. As I'm standing here looking at Tammy I'm not too sure what to say. All I know is that I'm pissed because once again Alex was right.

"Um, thank you?" I say in a form of a question. Tammy's face sort of drops and now she seems confused. Fuck.

"Thank you?" she asks. "Jordy that's all you're going to say?"

"I don't really know what else to say," I tell Tammy honestly.

"Maybe that you love me too?"

I put my hands in my pocket, not saying anything. I don't really know what to say at this point except that Alex was right.

Tammy is shaking her head. "You don't love me, do you?" she asks in a quiet voice.

I feel like someone just punched me in the stomach with that question. "Tammy, love is a very strong word," I tell her, trying to reason with her. "We haven't even been together for three months." If I try to convince her it's too soon to say it then maybe she'll drop it.

"I've always known I love you Jordan." Tammy looks up at me and her eyes are shining. Oh God, I cannot deal with crying. "You still love her don't you?" she asks in an accusing voice.

What? I look at Tammy with a bewildered look. "What are you talking about?"

"Your ex," she says. "You still love her don't you?"

"Tammy I-"

Tammy is walking toward me and I'm a little scared. "Don't even think about lying to me Jordan Johnson!" She's angry and tears are sliding down her face and it's scaring me. "You're still in love with your ex aren't you?"

I lower my head. I can't lie to her, lying at this point won't do any good. "Yes," I whisper.

"Look at me and say it," she says forcefully.

I look up at Tammy. "Yes, I'm still in love with my ex."

"Have you been in love with her this whole time we've been together?"

"Tammy-"

"Have you been in love with her this whole time we've been together?" Her face is so scary right now.

"Yes."

_SMACK!_

I raise my hand to my burning cheek. Who knew she could slap so hard? Who knew she would be so angry that she would slap me in the first place?

"Tammy," I start.

"No!" she yells. "This whole time Jordan! This whole time we've been together you've been in love with your ex! So what was I to you? Just someone you could play with and have sex with? Did you even care about me or was that fake too?"

I start toward Tammy but she backs away when I take a step forward. "Tammy nothing about this relationship was or is fake. I do care about you."

Tammy is shaking her head. "This whole time I thought I finally had the girl I was in love with. I finally thought that you cared about me and maybe just maybe I would get the one thing I had always wished for."

"Tammy you do have me," I tell her.

Tammy shakes her head and looks at me. "No I don't because your heart belongs to someone else." Tammy runs a hand through her hair and looks at me with sad and angry eyes. "You should leave," she says.

I try walking toward her again but she backs away. "Tammy please don't."

"Can you ever love me?"

What? Her question hits me hard. I look her right in the eyes. "Not as more than a friend," I tell her honestly.  
Tammy sniffles as more tears roll down her face. "I can't be with someone who will never love me," she says. "You need to leave."

I'm nodding my head because she's in pain and I caused her this pain so I need to do what she asks me to do. I walk to the door. I reach for the doorknob as I'm about to leave. I turn around and look at Tammy. "I do care about you Tammy and I'm sorry I hurt you," I tell her sincerely.

Tammy doesn't look at me. "Just leave Jordan," she says.

I open the door and exit her room. I close her door and rest my forehead against it. I can hear her crying and that's breaking my already broken heart. I put a hand over the door and my other hand over my heart. I never thought I could feel more horrible than I did when Beth broke up with me but I'm pretty sure this just beat that. I feel tears rolling down my face but I don't make a sound. I don't have the right to cry. I don't have the right to feel bad when I just hurt someone.

My hand slides down the door and now I'm walking away. I just did something that I told myself I wouldn't do, something I told Alex I wouldn't do. I just broke Tammy's heart and I feel like shit.

**1 ½ months later:  
**Worst thing about college is finals. Finals take up all your time and they eat your soul. Not that I had much of a soul left for them to eat. I feel shitty and horrible all the time. I feel shitty because I broke Tammy's heart and because now that I'm not with Tammy I'm constantly reminded that I miss Beth a lot. Also Alex is always with Sage so I don't exactly have someone I can turn to all the time.

I'm doing laundry right now. I look at my white polo shirt that has a huge coffee stain on it. Rebecca saw me at Starbucks the other day and let me just tell you that iced coffee can make your eyes burn. I'm doing laundry before Alex and I fly back home. I don't want nasty smelly dirty clothes in my suitcases.

I hear knocking on my door. I look through the fish eye which I started doing after Tammy and I broke up because I found quite a few surprises when I opened my door before looking. Let's see, balloons full of shaving cream, silly string to the face, and I can't forget the water guns full of soda. I look through the fish eye and it's just Alex. I open the door letting her in.

"Hey," I greet her glumly.

"Doing laundry I see," Alex says, noticing the clothes all over the floor.

"Yeah, I figured the last thing I do at FSU my freshman year would be laundry," I tell her.

Alex is nodding her head. "So how are you holding up?"

I pick up my white stained polo shirt and show it to her. "Well my shirt got to enjoy my iced latte."

"Which one did that?"

"Rebecca," I answer. "Not that I can blame her."

"It could have been worse," Alex tell me.

"Yeah, she could have came to me with a paintball gun and shoot me. Oh wait, that happened last week with a van full of sorority girls doing a drive by."

Alex shrugs. "Well they do say a sorority is all about sisterhood so I guess when you mess with one sister you mess with them all." Alex starts chuckling.

"It's not funny," I tell her sternly.

Alex continues laughing. "No it is because one, I warned you, two, I was right, and three, sorority girls really don't like you right now."

I grab a pillow off my bed and hit her in the face with it.

"Ow!" Alex exclaims. "That hurt."

"Yeah well a lot of things hurt in life."

Alex approaches me and places her hands on my shoulders. "Listen it'll be ok," she tells me sincerely. "Tammy will find someone who will love her and her craziness and you and Beth will get back together."

"And if we don't?"

"Don't worry you will. Fate and destiny will make sure of that."

I quirk an eyebrow and eye Alex suspiciously. "You're being really weird. Since when have you been a believer of fate and destiny? And why the hell are you so damn chipper?"

"I'm just happy," Alex says simply.

"Mhm," I say continuing eyeing her suspiciously. "So what are you and Sage doing about your relationship over the summer?"

"We've decided we're going to stay together," Alex says happily and proudly.

"Really?" I ask in disbelief.

"Yes, really," Alex answers. "Sage and I like each other a lot and we know that long distance relationships are tough and although we're a new couple we're still going to try to make it work."

"Wow," I say in astonishment. "You two must really like each other."

Alex is nodding her head. "Yeah we do. Alright we need to start doing some laundry so you'll be ready to go tomorrow morning."

"What about you?"

"I'm already packed."

"The grandparents probably helped you."

Alex smiles. "Yep, now come on. You have a lot of clothes that probably need to be washed twice."

I stick my tongue out at Alex; she's such a smart ass sometimes.

**Next Day:  
**Ugh. It's not that I don't hate flying I just hate how long it takes to get somewhere and I hate layovers. Alex and I are in Dallas right now at the Dallas/Ft. Worth International Airport. We have our connection flight to Toronto from here but we've been here for forty-five minutes and we still have another hour to wait. Alex is off somewhere getting us food since the breakfast they served us on the plane can hardly be called breakfast. Airlines are really screwing us over when it comes to food now-a-days.

I run a hand through my hair, tired. I had to get up at three in the morning so we could get to the airport and catch our 7:15 flight because for international flights you have to get to the airport three hours early. The only reason we chose such an early flight is because there's only one lay over and we're suppose to arrive in Toronto by 2:30.

I'm just so tired and cranky. I couldn't even sleep on the plane because my empty stomach was bothering me so much. Alex finally appears with food and drinks. Alex hands me a McDonald's bag with an apple juice box. I open the bag quickly and grab the biscuit sandwich inside. I open the sandwich and take a bite.

"Mm," I moan. "So good," I say with a mouth full of egg, bacon, and cheese biscuit.

Alex looks at me disgusted. "Ew," she says.

"Shut up, I'm hungry."

Alex is shaking her head. "That is so unhealthy," she says. She takes a bite out of her donut.

I point to her donut. "That probably has almost the same amount of calories as my sandwich."

Alex is shaking her head, disagreeing with me. "Not possible, plus your sandwich is probably loaded with tons of fat. Also, everyone knows donuts are good for you." Alex grins at me and takes another bite out of her donut.

I'm shaking my head at her. I don't have the energy to start a stupid argument with her. I scarf, yes I said scarf, down my biscuit sandwich and drink my juice. Finally my stomach is no longer eating itself. Ow, what the hell. Alex is elbowing me.

I turn to look at her, anger running through my veins. "Why are you elbowing me?" I ask angrily.

Alex isn't saying anything. Instead she's pointing off in some direction. I follow the direction she's pointing in. If I was still eating my breakfast it would have just fallen out of my mouth because my jaw literally just dropped.

"Go talk to her," Alex says.

"Hellz no," I tell her. "Are you crazy?"

"Obviously this is a sign from fate," Alex says seriously.

This girl has completely gone crazy. "Have you gone loco?" I ask her. "This isn't fate, this is me being punished."

Alex is shaking her head, vigorously disagreeing with me. "How can you call this punishment?" Alex asks in disbelief. "Obviously this is fate or destiny or whatever allowing your dumbass self to actually gain the happiness you've been seeking for so many months."

I'm giving Alex a dirty look. "I liked you better when you were the girl from the wrong side of the tracks that didn't say anything unless she was threatening someone."

"This is why you shouldn't try to make people mature and change for the better," she says. "Now go before I pick you up and carry you over there myself," Alex says in a serious tone. She pushes me.  
I slap her hands away. "Fine, I'm going." I stand up and start walking. I can do this, this is no big deal. Sure she shot me down and broke my heart again in Miami but she's scared. Yeah that's it. I have nothing to worry about.

I sit down in the empty seat. "Hey," I greet nervously.

Beth smiles but it doesn't seem like a happy smile. "Of all the flights to Toronto in all the airports in America, we would end up at the same one," Beth says.

I shrug my shoulders. "Fate?"

Beth chuckles and closes her book. "Or sheer punishment," Beth says bluntly.

I'm looking at her and the spark that was once there still isn't present. "How are you?" I ask.

"I'm good Jordan," Beth answers. "How's Tammy?" I hear a bit of attitude and annoyance in her voice.

"Tammy and I broke up," I tell her, looking her straight in the eyes.

Beth's face is unreadable. "Who broke up with whom?" She genuinely seems interested.

"Tammy broke up with me," I say honestly.

Beth is smirking and nodding her head. "So that's why you're talking to me," she says. "Makes sense."

Ok, I do not like this version of Beth. Bitchy Beth is not ok in my book. "She told me she loved me."

"Then why would she break up with you Jordan?"

"Because I couldn't say it back to her." I take Beth's hand into mine. "I'm still in love with you."

Beth is shaking her hand and slides her hand out of mine. "Don't do this Jordan." Beth gathers her things and stands up. She's walking away and I'm following her.

"No Beth, don't **you** do this," I tell her. Beth turns around and looks at me. "You're always running away from me. You're always running away from my heart, from your own heart."

Beth walks toward me. She's really close to me right now and I'm nervous because I have no idea what she's about to do.

"You keep saying you're in love with me," Beth says in a quiet voice so no one else can hear us. "You came to Miami and admitted you were with some girl that you were also fucking. Now here you are again after you just got out of a relationship with said girl and you're telling me you're still in love with me. You stopped loving me the day the fall semester started." Once again Beth is walking away. My life these past few months have just been people walking away and it feels like crap.

I walk back over to my seat and give Alex an angry and sad look.

Alex pats my shoulder. "Well bright side," she starts. "We're in Texas and I bet we could find a cowboy hat somewhere in this airport to buy."

I'm shaking my head at her. "I dislike you so much right now."

I just want to go home already. The states have done nothing but cause trouble and drama in my life.

**CANADA!  
**"Those two in-flight movies sucked," Alex says.

"I don't even remember when _Everyone's Hero _came to the theaters," I tell her.

We just got off the plane and were tortured with two horrible kids' movies. I'm just happy that I'm done flying for the day and I can just chill at home for the summer. Alex and I are walking down the ramp right now to meet up with our parents. Yes I said' our' because according to mom and dad the adoption process is almost over so I might as well get use to saying it now

"My babies are home!" I hear someone yell.

Alex and I share a look. We have both just agreed that that was probably our mother and yes, she's crazy. I see my mom waddling toward us with Brian walking behind her, I'm guessing to make sure she doesn't fall. Damn, Mom looks big.

She opens her arms and Alex and I both hug her. "It's so good to have you two home," she says.

"Hi Mom," I greet her.

"Hey Mrs. Johnson," Alex says. Mom gives Alex a look. "I mean Mom," Alex says, trying to fix her mistake.

"I'm glad to see you two UFC fighters came back home in one peace," Brian says.

"Ha ha," I fake laugh, "You're so funny dad."

"Hey guys!" I hear a voice greet us behind my parents.

Oh my God. It's a girl with some very red hair and I do believe I haven't seen this girl in forever.

"Well if it isn't Ellie Nash," I say astonished.

Ellie and I share a hug and then she hugs Alex.

"Ellie, what are you doing here?" Alex asks, sounding just as surprised as I am.

"Well your mom told me you two were coming back today and I didn't get to exactly say good-bye when you left," Ellie says. She turns her attention to Alex. "Just know that if I had been there that day I would have never let Paige and Marco do that to you."

"Ellie its ok," Alex tells her. "I actually enjoyed Florida. Met some cool people, didn't have to wear a jacket most of the time, and apparently the way we say 'aboot' is funny and cute."

Ellie raises an eyebrow. "Americans are weird."

I raise my hand. "I take offense to that."

Ellie and Alex are both laughing at me now. We're all walking to gather Alex and mine's suitcases and bags.

"So how are Marco and Paige?" I ask.

"Well none of us live together anymore. Paige's father bought her some condo outside of Toronto. Marco and Eric moved in together and I decided to move back in with my mom."

"Wow, things really did change after we left," I tell Alex.

Alex nods her head, agreeing with me. "Seems like it."

We gather our bags and leave the airport in my parents' van which I'm happy we have now since my mom is taking up so much room with her huge stomach.

**Home:  
**Home, sweet sweet home. They tell you there's no place like home and "they" are absolutely right. There is truly no place like home. I'm lying in my bed right now, rubbing my face into my pillow.

"I can't believe you're about to be related to that," Ellie says jokingly to Alex.

Alex laughs. "Yeah legally though, not biologically thank God."

I raise my hand and give them both the middle finger.

"So Alex tell me about this new girlfriend of yours," Ellie says.

I raise myself off my bed. "Oh you mean Sage?" I ask, singing Sage's name. "Alex makes these really weird eyes ate her whenever she's looking at her. It's pretty creepy."

"Shut up," Alex says. Alex puts her hands in her pockets and turns her attention back to Ellie. "There's not really much to tell. She's an amazing girl and I like her and she likes me."

"It's so cute, it's sickening," I tell Ellie.

Alex points a finger at me angrily. "Say one more thing Jordan Johnson and you won't live to see your next birthday."

_I'm walking on sunshine. WHOA! I'm walking on sunshine._

Alex looks down at her phone and a huge smile instantly appears on her face. "I'll be right back," she tells us. Now she's walking to her room.

"Who's that?" Ellie asks me.

"Guessing by the ringtone and the smile that appeared on Alex's face I have to say its Sage calling her," I inform her.

"Wow, she must really like this girl."

I'm nodding my head.

"I'm glad Alex moved on since Paige moved on," Ellie says.

"Paige moved on?" I ask. Of course she would, no doubt in my mind that she wouldn't.

"About a month ago she hooked up with Griffon," Ellie tells me.

I raise an eyebrow as confusion appears on my face. "Who the hell is Griffon?" I ask.

"He moved the same week Paige got her new job. You remember the guy we had interviewed when you were over that one time and I voted 'no'."

I'm nodding my head, starting to remember. "Paige would hook up with a house mate."

"Yep, that's Paige Michalchuk for ya," Ellie says.

Ellie doesn't sound too happy and I know it can't be from jealousy. Is there something she's not telling me?

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**A/N: I feel like with this chapter it was finally time to leave Florida. Now I must warn y'all that the next chapter is Jordan-centric but the chapter after that will be about family and Paige will finally be joining us. YAY!**


	20. Only You

**A/N: So umm yeah. I don't really have anything to say because it hasn't been forever since I last updated =)**

**Disclaimer: After season 6 you can forget about it! I do however own Jordana and Beth and I think they make a cute couple =)  
**

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**They say when you find your one true love you know. Your heart swells every time you see her, when she kisses you it feels like fire-works, and when you think about your future she's part of it. Right now my heart hurts. My heart has been hurting since September, since that awful day Beth broke up with me. I've been able to put a band-aid on my broken heart, hoping the band-aid would heal it. Unfortunately all the band-aid did was cover the injury, not heal it.

I've been home for about a month and I haven't really left the house; let alone my bed, that much. I find no reason to leave my little depressing bubble. I don't have a job, I don't have a girlfriend, and I really only talk to two people in this city and one of them lives with me. I did leave the house a couple of weeks ago on my birthday. Alex and Ellie took me to a bar and once again I tried to drink my sorrows away. Alex said that was absolutely the last time I was allowed to ever get drunk.

I'm lying down in my bed right now, staring up at the ceiling, strumming random chords on my guitar and letting tears run down my face. I don't even exactly know why I'm crying but I know I need to. Someone has just entered my room but I'm not taking my eyes off the ceiling.

"This has to be the most depressing thing I've ever seen," Alex says.

"You have your own room, get out of mine," I tell her, not even trying to hide my tears.

Alex walks over and sits on the edge of my bed. I swear I just told her to get out of my room.

"I believe I told you to get out, not sit on my bed," I tell her.

Alex takes my guitar out of my hands and places it gently on the floor. "You can't waste your whole summer in your room," she says in a concerned voice.

I close my eyes. "Yes I can."

Alex places her hand on my shoulder. "Jordan, if you love her then go talk to her."

More tears are falling down my face as I open my eyes. "She broke my heart so I wouldn't break hers. She made it very clear in Miami and Dallas that she no longer loves me. I've already tried talking to her and she just shoots me down and runs away."

Alex sighs. "Then stop letting her run away and run after her," Alex tells me.

I take Alex's hand off my shoulder and roll on my side so my back is facing her.

"Ya know, both Paige and I chose Beth for you," she says.

"What are you talking about?" I ask with very little interest in my voice.

"Jordan you think you're the only one that notices things but I notice stuff too. When Paige mentioned trying to set you up on a date I'm the one that brought up Beth. Sure, Paige noticed that Beth was trying to flirt with you but I'm the one that noticed the chemistry."

"You're crazy,' I mutter. I'm in no mood to listen to Alex's nonsense.

"No I'm not. You were so focused on Paige and me that you couldn't even see what was right in front of you. There was this look in your eyes whenever Beth would talk to you at work, and you would instantly smile. But once again you were too focused in Palex world that you didn't even notice or realize your own feelings."

I wish Alex would just shut up. She thinks she's helping but she's not. All she's doing is twisting the knife that is already in my heart. And she's still talking. I close my eyes trying to drown her out.

"Shut up!" I yell. I turn back around and look at her. "You think this will make me feel better? You're just making me feel worse. Besides, since when are you an expert on relationships?"

"I'm just telling you what you told me to do with Paige long ago. Stop being a pussy and go fight for your girl."

Alex gets up from my bed and is heading to the door. She reaches the door and turns back around to look at me.

"Just do something soon Jordan because this is just pathetic."

She leaves my room and slams the door.

"Ahh!" I grab the closest thing to me and throw it against the wall. Whatever it is bounces off the wall and I can see it made a small dent.

I throw myself back down onto my bed. I'm back to looking up at the ceiling. Love isn't supposed to be this hard. If Beth and I are supposed to be together then why aren't we? It's like she's not even giving me a chance to prove to her that our love is safe and real. It's like she's not letting me prove to her that it's only her, that in the end it will only be me and her. Somewhere deep down inside I believe that she loves me too but she's just scared.

I reach my arm over the side of my bed and grab my guitar off the floor. I start strumming random chords until I find some that fit perfectly together. I feel there are words inside of me that I just need to let out, that I just need to sing.

**Hours Later**:  
I need to do this; I need to sing her this song. I have to at least try. I jump down the last few steps with my guitar in one hand and car keys in another hand.

"Where are you going?" a voice from the kitchen asks.

I walk into the kitchen and my parents are at the island eating a snack. Brian is standing while my mom is sitting in this reinforced chair we got her. Since she's due any day now we decided a stool would be too dangerous, also she'd probably break it.

"Out," I answer her question.

"Out where?" she questions further.

"Ya know you usually don't ask me where," I tell her. I point to her near exploding stomach. "That kid has you acting very weird."

"Well you've been home for about a month and have spent 90% of that time in your room. So when you come jumping down the stairs with your guitar in one hand and your keys in the other a parent has the right to wonder. Shall I remind you of the last time you left the house and came back drunk like nobody's business?"

"It was my birthday and I was allowed to celebrate and it was 100% legal." I walk into the kitchen and throw my arms around both my parents' shoulders. "Don't worry; I'm not going out to get drunk. Just know that hopefully after today I will no longer be a vegetable in my room," I tell them with hope in my voice. I kiss Brian on the cheek and then my mom.

"Don't have that baby till I get back!" I yell as I'm running out the door.

I put my guitar in the back seat of my car and I get into the driver's seat. I put the key into the ignition and feel the car come alive. Well here goes nothing.

I pull up to Beth's house and I'm really nervous. I see her parents' car in the driveway and that makes me scared even more. I look at myself in the rearview mirror.

"You can do this," I say out loud to myself. I point to my reflection. "You are Jordan Athena Johnson damn it and you can do this!"

Alright, now that I'm pumped up and my confidence level is up I'm ready. I get out of my car and grab my guitar from the back. I walk up the steps to the front door. Alright I can do this. I raise my hand to knock on the door.

"Hurry up you two before we're late!"

The door opens suddenly and Mr. Perez is standing in front of me. He looks down and notices me. Oh shit, I think I just peed my pants a little bit.

I raise my hand in an awkward greeting. "Hola Mr. Perez," I sort of squeak.

"Aw Jordan, what a surprise to see you here," he replies.

Mrs. Perez and Simón appear behind Mr. Perez. Simón is Beth's younger brother. His full name is actually Simón Bolívar Konnor Perez. Yeah, since Mr. Perez named Beth, Mrs. Perez got to name Simón and she wanted to pay tribute to Venezuela's great liberator. I can say one thing, it's one hell of a name.

Anyway Mrs. Perez seems really shocked to see me and Simón is just smiling from ear to ear. The boy is only ten so anything right now makes him smile.

"Hey Jordan!" Simón greets me excitedly.

"Hey Simón," I greet him back. "How's it going dude?"

Mr. Perez turns his attention to Mrs. Perez and Simón. "How about you two go ahead and get the car ready?" he suggests. He gives the car keys to Mrs. Perez and she and Simón head to the car.

Mr. Perez crosses his arms. "So what are you doing here Jordan?" Mr. Perez asks me in an intimidating voice. "Because to be honest, you're the last person I thought I would see here."

I breathe and straighten up, no pun intended. "I'm here to talk to Beth sir."

Mr. Perez is nodding his head. "Of course you are. But what makes you think my daughter would like to talk to you?"

I feel myself deflate a little. I was prepared to speak to Beth but I'm not prepared to go through this conversation with her father.

"I mean when my daughter came home during American Thanksgiving break she seemed sad. She stayed in her room most of the time and when she did leave she would come home with bloodshot eyes. Why should I allow the person who broke my daughter's heart into my home?" Mr. Perez is sort of glowering at me now.

I'm stuck in my spot right now, afraid to move. Usually Mr. Perez is a sweet man but right now he's scaring the crap out of me. I never even thought about having to win Beth's parents back over. I have to stand up to Mr. Perez; I have to prove that I deserve not only to be allowed to talk to his daughter but also to date her. I can do this, I HAVE to do this.

I step up to Mr. Perez. "Sir," I say nervously. Woman up Jordan! I clear my throat. "Sir," I say more confidently. "I love your daughter. I love Beth so much that it hurts sometimes. I will wait until you leave if I have to talk to her. I'll wait forever if I have to tell Beth how I feel. But sir, no disrespect, I will not let you or anyone else stand in my way because damn it I love Beth and I deserve a chance to tell her how I feel." I'm breathing hard now and by the look on Mr. Perez's face I'm pretty sure I'm about to piss my pants now.

"Jordan," Mr. Perez says in a deep, scary, authoritive tone. Is authoritive even a word? Well it's a word now.

Oh God, I hope he remembers that I'm a girl and if he beats me up it would look very bad on his part. What the – He's smiling at me now. Do killers usually smile before they kill their victim?

Mr. Perez clasps his hands on my shoulders. "Jordan," he says, this time less threatening. "Stop whatever you're thinking before you pee yourself. I'm not going to kill you."

OH THANK YA JESUS! I let out a huge breath of relief I didn't even know I was holding in. I smile nervously at him.

"All I want is for my mija to be happy," Mr. Perez says. "The happiest I've ever seen her is when she was with you. I no longer see that spark in my daughter's eyes that use to be there and I miss that spark."

The car horn beeps and Mr. Perez and I both turn to look.

"Antonio!" Mrs. Perez yells. "Hurry up before we're late!"

Mr. Perez is yelling something back in Spanish. Now they're both yelling in Spanish and I have no idea what they're saying. Finally the yelling has stopped and Mr. Perez is looking at me, smiling.

He places a hand on my cheek as if he's about to do the "good job champ" thing. "Love is a battlefield Jordan," he says. "You have to be willing to fight for it. Now I want you to go upstairs and fight for my daughter's heart."

I'm smiling at Mr. Perez, feeling very happy and very relieved.

"Thanks Mr. Perez."

Mr. Perez nods her head. "No problem Jordan. Now go make my daughter happy." He's walking to his car.

I turn back to the house and breathe. I walk into the house and close the door behind me. It looks the same here, like nothing has changed. The same furniture is in place, the same pictures are on the wall, and the house still smells the same. The only difference I see is a UM flag hanging over the couch in the living room.

I'm looking at the stairs now. I feel like they're taunting me, mocking me. I feel like these stairs are daring me to climb them and then pour my heart out to the girl I love. I cross my arms, exhale a deep breath, and narrow my eyes. Bring it on stairs, I'm ready. I grab my guitar and start climbing the stairs.

I'm standing outside Beth's door now. There's a crack in the doorway and I'm looking inside her room. Beth is sitting on her bed, reading a book. I can't tell what book she's reading but I do know it's making her cry because I just saw her wipe a tear away. I run my hand through my hair. It's now or never. I knock on the door.

_Knock, knock_

Beth looks up from her book and quickly grabs a bat from under her bed.

"Who is it?" she asks in a shaky voice. Oh yeah, her family just left and there's someone knocking at her bedroom door. I'd be nervous and scared too.

I slowly open the door. "It's just me," I tell her.

Beth sighs, or maybe it's a breath of relief. "Ay dios mio," Beth says. She places the bat back down on the floor. "What are you doing here Jordan?"

I unzip my guitar case and take my guitar out. I put the strap around my shoulder and kick my case to the side.

"Jordan-"

"Just hear me out please," I plead.

My body is slightly shaking. I'm really nervous and I feel like I'm about to throw up. I inhale a deep breath and exhale. I place my fingers in the position for the first chord and start to strum. Music is starting to fill the room and my confidence is starting to rise. I can do this. I open my mouth as I begin to sing.

_I hear you calling out my name  
__All of the elements will fade  
__Never before has love looked safe  
__Never again will it look the same_

_But then we fall back now to this empty house  
__There the wars will rage  
__And if you leave me now in this empty house  
__Baby it's okay_

_Oh and it's only you yeah it's only you  
__It's only you and me  
__Oh and it's only you yeah it's only you  
__It's only you and me yeah_

So far, so good. She hasn't tried to stop me or anything and she's still listening.

_And I feel you crawling out my veins  
__Leaving the walls inside with flames  
__Burning the emptiness I've saved  
__Until lonely you remain_

_But then my lungs collapse and you pull me out  
__Forever I've been changed  
__Honey you can take me now till it all runs out  
__Baby it's okay_

_Oh but there's only you, yeah it's only you  
__It's only you I see  
__Girl if it's only you, yeah it's only you  
__It's only you and me yeah_

_Can you feel it now?  
__I've weighed it all out  
__Here and now my world turns inside out  
__And I swear I  
__I hear you calling  
__I hear you calling out my name_

_Only you yeah it's only you  
__It's only you I see  
__Girl if it's only you, yeah it's only you  
__It's only you and me yeah  
__yeah-eah-eah yeahahah eah-eah yeah-eah-eah yeahahah eah yeah_

I strum the last chord and let it ring. Beth is staring at me and I'm staring back. Her eyes are shining which means tears are ready to fall. I place my guitar down on the floor and approach Beth. She stands up from her bed.

"Jordan-," she starts.

"Sh," I quiet her. I wipe away the tear that was falling down her cheek with my thumb. "I'll always be here to wipe away your tears." I smile and take a deep breath.

Take Beth's hands into mine. "Beth from the moment I told you I love you I have always meant it and I still do. The moment you broke up with me my heart broke and my world began to crumble. I only dated Tammy in hope that it would take the pain away. But dating her was like putting a band-aid on my heart. It covered the pain but it didn't heal it, because only you can do that."

I raise my right hand and place it on Beth's cheek. "I'm sorry I forgot how hard it was to move to a different place, a different country. I'm sorry that I didn't think about your feelings when I was off hanging out with old friends. And just know that that girl in the picture kissing me on the cheek was my old best friend from middle school but I get why that would make you upset and I'm sorry."

I take another breath, trying to calm myself as I feel tears starting. "But know that not a day went by where I wasn't thinking of you," my voice cracks a little. "You're the one for me Beth, only you. I want to be with you and only you." I take her hand that I was holding and place it over my heart. "Only you make my heart beat like this."

I step closer to Beth, closing the distance that was between us and wipe away another tear that's falling down her cheek. "I love you Beth. I love you with all my heart and I always will. And I think you love me too but you're just scared. You're scared that I'll break your heart but I'd break my heart before I'd ever break yours. And I think you're running away because you're scared and I don't want you to run anymore. But if you can look me straight in my eyes and honestly tell me you no longer love me, that you're no longer in love with me, then I'll leave. All I want is to see you happy and if you tell me I'm not the one that can bring you happiness then I'll leave you alone."

I'm staring at Beth and she's staring right back at me. There's so much emotion in this room right now and my heart is beating so hard and fast that I think I'm either going to pass out or have a heart attack. Beth's hand is still over my heart and my hand is still covering hers.

Beth is sliding her hand away from my heart up my body. She rests her hand on the back of my neck and our foreheads are resting against each other. I can feel her breath on my lips and her body being this close to mine is driving me crazy. I close my eyes.

"I love you," Beth whispers.

Wait, did she just say she loves me? I'm waiting for her to say "as a friend" because somewhere in the back of my mind I know she's going to say it.

"Jordan," Beth says, trying to get my attention.

I open my eyes slowly and look at Beth. Tears are silently falling down her face and I'm crying as well. I'm looking into her eyes and I'm seeing something I haven't seen in awhile, love.

I feel Beth's lips on mine and I think I might be dreaming, but I hope to God I'm not. I'm seeing stars and I feel like I'm on cloud nine. Beth's arms are around my neck while mine are around her waist. My lips are moving against Beth's in perfect sync. Our kissing right is now is rushed and full of passion as we're both trying to reacquaint our lips. The feelings we've been holding and not being able to express are pouring into these kisses. We've finally slowed down to sensual kisses. We pull apart, both desperately needing air. We're both still crying but these are tears of joy and happiness.

"I love you Jordan Johnson," Beth says.

I'm grinning widely, feeling extremely happy and relieved. I laugh a little out of pure happiness.

"I love you too Bethany Perez," I tell her.

"I'm so sorry for what I did," Beth starts apologizing while more tears are still streaming down her face. "I just-."

"Hey," I interrupt her and I'm trying to wipe away some of the tears. "Sh, we'll talk about that later. Right now I just want to be with you."

I capture Beth's lips with mine. I feel her tongue running along my lower lip asking for permission. I happily grant the permission by welcoming her tongue with mine. Oh my… We both moan as our tongues slide against each other. I lay Beth down gently on her bed but our lips never disconnect.

Ok, now I need air. I leave Beth's lips, receiving a groan from her, but I've reattached my lips to her neck. As I'm kissing and nipping her neck my hand is sliding up her shirt. Yep, I'm a sneaky one. I find Beth's pulse point, sucking on it hopefully leaving a mark.

"Jordan," Beth moans.

I can feel Beth's hand sliding up my shirt as she's moaning my name. Beth is feeling my abs and it sort of tickles.

"Someone has been working out," she says.

I chuckle. "I had to do something at school besides studying."

"You should take your shirt off," Beth whispers seductively in my ear.

I take off my shirt in one swift motion. Beth's eyes are roaming my body, taking everything in. I'm pretty sure her light green eyes just got a shade darker and I'm pretty sure mine have as well.

"You like what you see?" I ask her.

Beth smiles seductively at me. "Yeah," she answers and bites her lip.

The lip biting always gets me. I lean down and kiss her hard while tugging at her shirt. "You should take this off."

Beth takes her shirt off and hands and lips are instantly on her unclothed skin. I'm kissing down her stomach, enjoying the softness. I've reached the waistband of her shorts and I slide my tongue back up her body to her mouth. We start kissing again.

I pull away. "I love you," I tell her sincerely."

"I love you too," she says. Beth pulls the zipper of my pants down. "Let me show you how much."

They say no matter what love conquers all. That sometimes for love to be strong you must go through trials and obstacles. I know that no matter what Beth and I's relationship will last because these past nine months have shown me that I'm nothing without Beth. She's my only one and now that we're back together my heart will heal.

* * *

**A/N: So next chapter will be the chapter we've all been waiting for. PALEX CHAPTER! WOO! I'm almost done with it so expect it soon. "Only You" is a song owned by Cartel off their new album. check it out =)**


	21. Reunion

**A/N: so I actually wanted to post this two days ago but I hadn't finished writing it and I still needed to type it. For those of you who are wondering how I've been able to update so fast and quickly recently it's because these recent chapters and the chapters for the rest of the story are chapters I've been thinking about in my mind since I started the sequel. so yea.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi, not I do not. But I might own a Playstation 3 soon =)  
**

**

* * *

**When I was 13 years old my parents bought me a Playstation 2 for my birthday. At the time it was the happiest day of my life. I'm pretty sure this day just beat that day by a million points.

I'm slowly starting to wake up. The smell of warm vanilla sugar is surrounding me and a smile slowly appears on my face. Have you ever woken up and your body just feels amazing beyond belief? That's exactly how my body feels right now, AMAZING. I turn my head and the sight before me has just turned my smile into a huge grin.

Beth, the love of my life, is sleeping peacefully beside me. Her back is facing me and it is quite a beautiful back. I run a finger down Beth's back and I see her body slightly shiver. I drape my arm around her waist and kiss her shoulder softly.

"Mmm," Beth moans softly.

Beth turns around and drapes an arm around me. Now she's snuggling up to me and burying her head into the crook of my neck,

I'm running my hand up and down Beth's backside and I'm kissing her shoulder and collar bone.

"I love you," I whisper.

I feel Beth moving against me. She lifts her head from the crook of my neck and slowly starts opening her eyes. Beth gives me a sleepy smile.

"You sure do know how to wake a girl up," she says in a sleepy voice.

I smile at her. "I try," I tell her and kiss her softly on the lips.

"Mmm."

I push Beth's hair behind her ear and kiss her forehead. We're just looking at each other now. Not saying anything but just enjoying each other's presence.

"You know we're going to have to talk about it," Beth whispers.

I groan. "Thanks buzz kill," I say. "Five more minutes of peace and then we can talk about it."

"Fine," Beth says and kisses me.

Hold on, I think I hear something. I think I hear a slight buzzing maybe.

"Do you hear something?" I ask Beth.

Beth stops to listen. "I think so," she answers. Beth reaches over to grab her phone off her dresser. "Not my phone, so it must be yours."

I sit up and look around the room. "My phone is in my shorts," I tell her. "Where are my shorts?" I'm looking around her room.

"Where'd you throw your shorts?"

I turn to look at Beth "Where did YOU throw them? You're the one that took them off."

Beth is smirking at me. "Well you were being slow so someone had to take them off for you." She winks at me.

I'm laughing and shaking my head slightly. We're both searching for my shorts now trying to find my phone so I can answer it.

"Found it!" Beth yells from the other side of the bed.

I look and she's holding my phone up in the air while smiling in triumph. Beth flips open my phone.

"Uh Jordan," she says. "You have thirty missed calls, twenty voicemail messages, and fifty text messages."

"Who is trying to reach me so badly?"

Beth searches my phone. "They're all from Alex."

What in the world? My phone is vibrating again. Beth throws the phone over to me. It's Alex calling me again.

"Hello," I answer the phone.

"Finally!" Alex yells. "I've been calling and texting you for hours!"

"Alex, calm down."

"Calm down? Maybe you'd like to tell Mom to calm down because she just went into labor two hours ago!"

Oh my… "WHAT? What do you mean she went into labor?"

"I mean two hours ago her water broke and the contractions started. You need to get your ass here now because I'm pretty sure she wants you here."

"Ok, I'll be there in fifteen minutes." I close my phone and frantically start searching for my clothes. "My mom is in labor," I tell Beth.

"Yeah, I kind of figured that when you yelled, "What do you mean she's in labor?""

I'm breathing hard and trying to put my clothes on fast. "I have to hurry. Mom would never forgive me if I missed this."

Beth's hands are on my face and she's making me focus on her. "Jordan calm down," she says calmly. "It's only been two hours; your mom probably still has some ways to go. Just breathe."

I take a deep breath in and I breathe it back out.

"Good," Beth says. "Now just let me put some clothes on and I'll drive."

"Why do you get to drive?"

"Because I don't want us to arrive to the hospital in an ambulance."

"Ha ha, I forgot what a comedian you are."

Beth gives me a cheeky smile and starts putting clothes on. I can't believe my mom is in labor. I can't believe I'm about to be a big sister!

**Hospital:  
**"Oh my God! Just park somewhere Beth!"

Beth starts yelling in Spanish. I don't know what she's saying but I did just hear the word "punta".

"Did you just call me a bitch?" I ask.

"Jordan Johnson, if you don't shut up I'm going to kill you!" Beth yells.

We finally find a spot to park and we both jump out of the car and run inside the hospital. We're running up the stairs to the maternity wing on the third floor. I run into the waiting room and I see Alex sitting in a chair. Alex jumps up from her seat when she sees me.

"Finally!" she yells as she's approaching me.

"It's not my fault someone took forever to park," I tell her and then look at Beth.

"Keep talking aboot it Johnson and you'll find yourself single," Beth says with attitude.

"Wait," Alex starts and a look of realization appears on her face. "You two are back together? That's awesome!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," I say. "Woo-hoo, yay! We're all happy and what not. We'll throw a gay parade later. Where's Mom?"

"Room 311."

I take off running down the hallway with a nurse yelling behind me that I need to walk. I finally reach the room and open the door.

"Mom I'm here," I announce as I enter the room.

My mom is in the bed with a pained look on her face while Brian is feeding her ice chips and a nurse is looking at one of the machines. My mom looks up and small smile is now on her face.

"Oh Jordan honey, you're finally here," she says quietly.

I approach her bed and take her hand. "I'm here Mommy. I'm sorry I'm late."

"Don't worry, you haven't missed anything big yet," Brian says and laughs nervously.

"Ah!"

Ah! Oh my God! Brian is yelling, so I'm yelling, and Mom is just groaning in pain while her face is all scrunched up. Mom stops groaning and her face relax. Brian is now cradling his hand.

"What was that?" I ask.

"That was a contraction," Brian says while flexing his hand and wincing.

"Last time I was in labor was 19 years ago so I've sort of forgotten how much it hurts," Mom says.

A lady in a white coat enters the room with a smile on her face. Since she's wearing a white coat with a stethoscope around her neck I'm going to go ahead and say she's the doctor.

"Hello Mrs. Johnson," the doctor says. "Let's see how you're doing."

The doctor puts on a glove and reaches under the sheet. I'm not 100% sure what she's doing and I'm pretty sure I don't want to know.

"Hmm," the doctor says. "You're about five centimeters dilated. You're half way there."

"How many centimeters dilated does she need to be?" I ask.

"About ten," the doctor says.

"Jeez. How long will that take?"

"Well considering this is your mother's second child it shouldn't be too long now. Considering your mom's and she's already halfway there it could take a couple of hours to about six.

I whistle and Brian is giving me this look, telling me to shut up. All I'm saying is that six hours is long.

"I'll be back in an hour to check up on you," the doctor tells my mom.

The doctor and nurse leave the room and now it's just my parents and I.

"How long were you in labor with me?" I ask.

"Twenty hours," my mom answers.

I whistle again. "Wowzers," I say amazed."You're a trooper Mom." I kiss her forehead. "I'm going to go wait in the waiting room with Alex. Send Dad if you need anything. I love you."

"I love you too sweetie."

Brian hugs me. "See you later kiddo."

I leave the room and walk back to the lobby. Alex and Beth are sitting, talking to each other.

"Yeah, it was a pretty sad sight," Alex says. "It was depressing, her just moping around."

I clear my throat, interrupting their conversation. I'd rather not have Alex telling Beth how sad and emo I was.

"Hey," Alex says and gets up from her seat. "How is she?"

"She's good," I answer. "Doctor says she's five centimeters dilated and needs to be ten to give birth. So she's almsot half way there."

"How long will that take?"

I shrug my shoulders. "The doctor said it could take anywhere from a couple of hours to several hours."

"Wow, well I need to eat," Alex announces. Alex is pointing at me. "You probably need to eat too." She's giving me a knowing look.

"Yeah, I could eat," I say hesitantly. I turn to look at Beth. "Are you hungry?"

She shakes her head. "No, I'm good," she says with a smile on her face. "You go ahead and I'll be here when you get back."

I nod my head in understandment and we share a quick kiss. Alex and I are walking to the hospital cafeteria.

Alex nudges me shoulder. "So, you and Beth are back together," she says.

"Yep," I say nonchalantly.

"I guess my speech motivated you after all." Alex is smiling her smug smile.

I start clapping. "Congratulations Alex," I say sarcastically. "Once again you were right."

Alex starts bowing, playing along. "Thank you," she says. "Now you must name your first child after me."

I'm shaking my head. "Nu-uh," I tell her. "I name my child after you and then before you know it I get a call from the school principal telling me my child got in five fights in one day all because her or his Auntie Alex told her or him it was ok to use your fists in any situation."

Alex gasps. "I would never tell my future niece or nephew that."

I give her a look. "Sure you wouldn't."

We reach the cafeteria and get in line.

"Wait, why are we eating hospital food?" I ask. "Isn't hospital food known for being disgusting?"

I hear someone clearing their throat. I look up and the cafeteria worker is giving me the evil eye. Alex is covering her mouth with her hand and I know she's laughing.

"I mean disgusting in a good way," I tell the cafeteria working, trying to save myself."

"Mhm," the worker says with attitude and a hand on her hip.

"I'll take an orange jell-o cup please," I say in a polite and quiet voice. The worker hands me the jell-o cup. "Thank you."

I pay for my jell-o cup and milk and walk to a table while Alex grabs her lunch. Alex sits down with her food across from me. She has a ham and cheese sandwich, baby carrots, and orange juice.

I lift my jell-o cup. "I just got a jell-o cup," I say glumly.

"You're lucky jell-o cups come pre-packaged or else that worker might have spit in your food," Alex says in an amused tone.

"Shut up," I tell her.

Alex continues laughing. "Anyway, I talked to Sage a couple of days ago."

Now I'm interested. "How is the lovely Sage?"

"She's good," Alex says with a dopey smile on her face. "She's actually coming up here next month to visit."

"Really?" I ask in a surprised voice. "That's awesome Alex."

Alex is nodding her head in excitement. "Yeah, she'll be staying with us for a week."

What? My eyes widen at this news. "What?"

"Mom and Dad already said it was ok," Alex says in a teasing tone.

"No one asked me how I felt about this."

"Well for starters it's not your house and you don't pay the bills so your opinion doesn't matter. Also you've been a very depressed Debbie Downer for the past month so it's not like we could have actually talked to you aboot it."

I narrow my eyes at her. I don't appreciate being called a depressed Debbie Downer, even if it is true.

Alex finishes her sandwich and orange juice. "We better get back before your girlfriend misses you too much and then breaks up with you again."

I point my finger at Alex threateningly. "Not funny Nuñez."

"Alright that was mean. I'm sorry."

Alex and I throw our trash away and head back to the waiting room. I see Beth talking to some brunette and black guy. I wonder who they are.

"Alex! Jordan!" someone yells.

Alex and I both turn in the direction we heard the voice come from. Marco? What the hell is he doing here? Alex and I are both looking at each other and I know she's thinking the same thing I'm thinking. Neither one of us were exactly on good terms with Marco when we left. I mean I know he called Alex on her birthday but I'm still slightly pissed.

"Hey Marco," I greet him with a fake smile. What? I can be fake when I want. Not my fault.

"Hey Jordan!" Marco greets me excitedly. "How are you?" We share a hug. I don't know if it was awkward for him but it was certainly awkward for me.

"I'm good," I tell him.

Marco turns his attention to Alex.

"Alex! You look good!" Alex and Marco share a hug. A person from a mile away can tell you how uncomfortable Alex looked while hugging Marco.

I'm looking at Marco carefully and he still looks the same. Oh yeah, Ellie is here too. Ellie is the other person I've been hanging with this summer so I don't feel the need to make a big deal of her being here.

"Hey Ellie," I greet her with a genuine smile.

"Hey," Ellie greets me back with a smile and a wave.

"What are you two doing here?" Alex asks them.

"Well I saw Beth's status update on her Facebook and I knew I had to come down here and Ellie was with me anyways," Marco explains.

"Beth's face what?" I ask. What the hell is a Facebook?

"Her Facebook," Marco repeats. "It's sort of like Myspace except less crazy and way easier to find people. Also congrats on you and Beth getting back together."

I scrunch my eyebrows, still slightly confused about this Facebook thingy. "Umm thanks," I say.

Alex and I are sharing a look. Apparently she doesn't know what Facebook is either. Thank God I'm not the only one. We shrug our shoulders and start walking toward Beth and who ever she's talking to.

Beth sees us coming and motions to the guy and girl. They both turn around. OH MY GOD! It's Paige! It's Paige effin Michalchuk without blonde hair! What has the world come to? I turn to look at Alex and she looks as shocked as I do.

Paige smiles and is walking toward us.

"Be cool," I tell Alex.

"Shut up," she hisses.

Paige reaches us. "Surprise," she says excitedly with her hands out. It kind of looks like she's doing jazz hands.

"Your hair," Alex says. That would be the first thing that comes out of her mouth.

"Yeah I know," Paige says while messing with her hair. "I just said to myself one day, "Paige it's time to try something new" and I did it."

"You're not Paige," I say seriously while pointing an accusing finger at her. "You're Paige's evil twin Brunette Paige."

Paige laughs and black boy chuckles. "No, it's definitely me hon," Paige says. "It's good to see you Jordan." Paige and I hug.

We end the hug and Paige looks at Alex. I'm pretty sure I just saw her scan Alex's body up and down.

"You look good Alex," Paige tells her. They share a hug that looks weird and awkward.

I don't know which hug was weirder. Alex hugging Marco or Alex hugging Paige. I don't know, close call.

"Looks like Florida treated you well," Paige says, this time we all can see she just looked Alex up and down.

Alex stuffs her hands in her pockets. "Yeah," she says bluntly.

Beth appears by my side and I place an arm around her waist and she does the same to me. You can feel the awkwardness in the air right now. It's sort of like when you step outside and it's really humid and you just feel sticky and you can't breathe. I don't know about everyone else but that's sort of how I'm feeling right now. Paige is looking at Alex while Alex is trying to look everywhere and anyway but at Paige. The black boy is just swaying on the balls of his feet and I'm staring at him. His fro and facial hair is bothering me. Black boy looks up and sees me staring at him. I don't do that thing where someone pretends they weren't staring at someone. I want him to know I'm staring because his facial hair bothers me.

He takes out his hand. "Hi, I'm Griffin," he says while holding his hand out for me to shake.

Oh this is Griffin. Well that would explain why when I saw him I automatically disliked him. What? They say don't judge a book by its cover but I think just this once I will.

I take Griffin's hand. "Jordan," I introduce myself. I let go of Griffin's hand.

Now he's holding his hand out to Alex. Alex narrows her eyes but take his hand.

"I'm Alex," she says.

"Yeah, we kind of met a few months back before you moved out," Griffin says.

"You mean before she was kicked out," I mutter.

Ow! Sharp pain, sharp pain! Beth just pinched my side and it really hurts. I turn to look at her angrily but she's just smiling innocently but her eyes are telling me to shut my mouth. Not my fault I was speaking the truth.

"Griffin is my boyfriend," Paige says.

I turn my head around to look at Ellie and she's nodding her head. I turn back around and I can see that Alex has clenched her jaw.

"Alex has a new girlfriend," I blurt out.

Alex whips her head to look at me and her eyes have widened a bit in surprise and anger. I look back at her with an apologetic look. I didn't mean to say it, it just came out.

"Really hon?" Paige asks. Paige's face is sort of unreadable but I notice she just took Griffin's hand into her own. "That's great." She smiling a smile that only those close to her know is her fake cheer smile.

"Umm yeah," Alex says. I can tell that Alex doesn't quite know what to say.

"Yeah, she's really cool and hot," I tell them. Oh my God, what is wrong with me? I just can't shut up. I turn to look at Beth and she's looking at me weirdly with a raised eyebrow.

"Wow hon, it seems like you really like Alex's girlfriend," Paige says.

I laugh nervously. "I just think she's a great person and really good for Alex."

Paige focuses her attention on Alex. "I'd love to meet her hon," Paige tells her.

There's something in Paige's eyes and the way she just spoke that makes me think she only wants to meet Sage to see if she's better than her.

"Well she lives in Florida," Alex says in a fake 'I want you to meet her too' voice.

"But she's coming to visit next month so we should all hang out," I blurt out. Ok, someone needs to put tape over my mouth NOW.

Alex is practically trying to kill me with her eyes right now. Once again I'm giving her an apologetic look. I can't help that I have diarrhea of the mouth right now.

Paige is nodding her head. I'm guessing she's agreeing with what I said before.

"We should definitely hang out when she comes to visit," Paige says.

"Yeah, maybe," Alex says quickly. "Jordan we should go check on Mom."

I know that's code for, "We need to get out of this awkward situation and talk". I'm nodding my head, agreeing with her.

"We'll be right back," I tell everyone and smile nervously.

I kiss Beth on the cheek. Alex and I are walking down the hallway toward our mom's room. We're far away enough from the others now so we stop. Alex is looking at me with angry eyes and crosses arms. Thank God we're in a hospital because I think I might need a doctor soon.

I throw my hands up quickly. "I am so sorry!" I exclaim.

"What is wrong with you?" Alex asks angrily.

"It just came out, like diarrhea of the mouth."

"You just wouldn't shut up. Then you tell Paige that Sage is going to be here next month and we should all hang out. Are you trying to kill me?"

"I'm sorry! I felt like Paige was flaunting her boyfriend so I decided to flaunt your girlfriend around for you."

Alex points a finger at me. "I don't need YOU flaunting MY girlfriend for me."

"Ok, ok, I get it. But did you see the way Paige reacted when announced you had a girlfriend?"

Alex uncrosses her arms and furrows her eyebrows in confusion. "What are you talking aboot?"

I cross my arms because one again I noticed something Alex didn't notice.

"Before, Paige wasn't holding Griffin's hand but when I suddenly blurted out that you have a girlfriend that's when she took his hand," I tell Alex.

Alex is shaking her head. "You're being delusional."

"Yeah, because I always imagine people not holding hands and then all of the sudden they are," I say sarcastically. "Because that makes so much sense."

"Maybe it was just a coincidence."

I put my hands up. "Fine, maybe it was just a coincidence. Or," I say holding up a finger indicating something. "Paige Michalchuk still has some type of feelings for you."

Alex holds up her hand as if she's stopping me. "Don't Jordan," she says angrily.

Why is she angry all of the sudden? "Don't what?" I ask confused.

"Don't start with the whole "Paige has feelings for you" crap. You always do that and then we end up repeating the same cycle over again."

"The cycle will only repeat itself if you also have feelings for her," I tell her matter-of-factly.

"Just drop it Jordan."

"But-"

"Drop it!" Alex yells angrily.

Here eyes look like they're on fire. I'm nodding my head telling her I won't mention it again. We continue our walk to Mom's room to check up on her. We enter the room and Mom must be having another contraction because her face looks like she's in pain and Brian is wincing in pain. It looks like Mom has a really good grip on his hand. I wouldn't be surprised if she ends up breaking some of his fingers. The contraction stops and Mom let's go of Brian's hand.

"Good Mrs. Johnson," the doctor says. She places her gloved hand under the sheet. "You're almost there. I'm expecting just a couple of more hours now."

"Hey Mom," I greet her as Alex and I are approaching her bed.

She looks up at us with a tired look on her face. "Hello girls," she greets us with a tired smile.

Alex takes Mom's hand into her own and I place my hand on Mom's shoulder.

"How are you feeling?" Alex asks her.

"Just a little tired," she says. "I'm waiting for your little brother to finally decide when to make his arrival."

"Are you going to tell us his name yet?" I ask.

"You'll find out his name when you meet him," Brian says.

I narrow my eyes at him. "Fine," I say. I kiss Mom on the forehead. "A lot of people are here for you and the baby."

"Really?" she asks surprised.

Alex nods her head. "Yeah," she says. "Marco, Ellie, Paige, and Beth are all here for you and the baby."

Mom raises her eyebrows and looks at me. "Beth is here?"

I grin widely. "Yes she's here," I tell her. "We're back together."

"Woo!" Brian shouts with a fist in the air. The hand that's not been tortured today.

"I'm happy for you, sweetie," Mom says, placing her hand on my cheek.

"Thanks Mom." I turn to Alex. "We should probably get back to everyone."

Alex nods her head, agreeing with me. She kisses Mom on the cheek, "We'll be back," she tells her.

"Ok," she says.

I also kiss her on the cheek. "Love you," I tell her.

"Love you too."

Alex and I both hug Brian and walk back to the waiting room. Ellie and Beth are talking to each other, Paige and Griffin are sitting on the other side with Griffin whispering something in Paige's ear while she's giggling, and Marco is nowhere to be seen. Ellie and Beth notice us and they stand up from their seats and walk over.

"How's she doing?" Beth asks.

"She's ok," I tell her. "The doctor says it shouldn't be long now."

We all hear laughing. I turn my head and see Paige laughing while Griffin is chuckling. Ew, they just kissed. I turn my attention back to the rest of the group. Ellie and Alex look as disgusted as I am.

"Good thing we're in a hospital because I think I'm about to throw up," I tell them.

"Jordan," Beth says in a warning tone.

"No, I agree with Jordan," Ellie says with her arms crossed. "I don't understand how someone could be with a person who might have possible given them HIV."

WHAT? All of our eyes have widened as Ellie gasps and quickly covers her mouth. Doesn't matter now because she's already said it.

"What do you mean possibly gave someone HIV?" Alex asks through clenched teeth.

"I-I…." Ellie stammers.

"Ellie, explain now," I say sternly.

Ellie holds up her hands. "I can't," she says. "I already said too much."

"Hey guys, what's going on?" Marco suddenly appears.

I turn to Marco. "Oh nothing, just the usual. Just finding out a friend might possibly have HIV," I tell him in a fake cheery voice.

Marco gasps and looks at Ellie. "Eleanor Nash, I can't believe you told them Griffin might have infected Paige."

"I didn't but you just did!" Ellie says.

Oh my God, you have got to be shitting me right now. I'm looking over at Paige and Griffin and they're holding hands and just laughing with one another. I don't understand how she can be with someone who might have infected her. Wait a minute.

I turn back to the group. "What do you mean by "might have" infected her?" I ask Marco and Ellie.

"Well, when Paige went to get tested they said it could take up to six months for HIV anti-bodies to show up," Marco informs us.

"It's only been two months," Ellie says.

"So are you telling us that Paige purposely slept with a guy who has a deadly virus?" Beth asks. That's my girl, always asking questions.

Marco shakes his head no. "Paige didn't know he was positive when she slept with him," Marco says. "Besides, they used protection."

"Whoa whoa whoa, wait a minute," I say while holding my hands up. "Are you telling me that Griffin slept with Paige and didn't even tell her that he is HIV positive before hand?"

Both Marco and Ellie are nodding their heads.

I run my hands through my hair and breathe. I cannot believe this is happening. I turn to look at Alex. Uh-oh. There's this fire burning in Alex's eyes, her jaw is clenched, she's balled her fists, and she's breathing really hard with her nostrils flaring. This is not good.

"Alex..." I'm slightly scared.

Alex turns around and starts walking toward Paige and Griffin. I look at the rest of the group.

Beth points to Alex. "Jordan go do something!"

Oh shit! I turn around and run after Alex. I catch up to her.

"Now Alex, think before you do something ridiculous and stupid," I tell her.

We reach the couple and Paige is looking up at us smiling.

"What's up?" she asks us.

"Oh nothing," Alex says. "Griffin, can you stand up for a sec?"

Griffin looks confused and I'm definitely in the same boat with him.

"Um sure," he says and stands up.

HOLY SHIT! Griffin was standing and now he's not. He's on the floor and probably seeing stars.

"Oh!" I hear everyone behind us.

"Hey!" a nurse yells from the nurse's station.

"Ma'am I have everything under control!" I tell her.

"Oh my God!" Paige exclaims. She's kneeling down on the floor, checking on the injured boy. Paige touches Griffin's now bruised eye and he winces in pain.

"What kind of asshole has sex with a girl and doesn't even tell her that he's HIV positive?" Alex asks angrily.

Paige looks up at us surprised and angry. "Alex!"

"Do you just sleep around with a bunch of girls possibly infecting them?" Alex continues. "You figure, "Hey some random slut gave me HIV so I might as well pass it around"."

I'm pretty sure Alex is remembering the time Jay was sleeping around and gave her gonorrhea.

"Lexi!" Paige yells angrily. She stands up. "Hon, you have no idea what you're talking aboot."

"Like hell I do," Alex says. "But I don't know what's worse; him sleeping with you without telling you or the fact you're still with him after finding out."

"My sex life and relationship is none of your concern."

Alex laughs angrily. "You're right, it's not. But I find it amazing that you chose to stay with a guy that might have infected you with a deadly virus yet you broke up with me because I didn't deliver your damn reminders."

Wow, looks like Alex's comment just punched Paige in the stomach.

"I want you two," Alex is pointing at Paige and Griffin. "I want you to leave," she says. She's walking away, back over to the others with her fists still balled up.

I look back at the couple and Griffin is now standing up, touching his eye gently.

"Jordan-"

I raise my hand, silencing Paige. "Today is supposed to be a happy day for my family. Today is supposed to be a day for my family to celebrate. Today is about MY family. Now Alex asked you to leave and if you don't respect her wishes then I'm afraid I'll have to ask security to escort you out. I don't want to have to do that."

Paige is looking at me with disbelief. I don't know why she's so surprised. Everyone knows that no matter what I'll always be on Alex's side. A look of surrender appears on Paige's face.

"Ok," she says in defeat. "Tell your mom I said congratulations." Paige takes Griffin's hand. "Come on hon, let's go home and get some ice for your eye."

Paige and Griffin walk over to the elevator. Paige turns around and waves good-bye to me. I raise my hand, but I don't wave. The elevator door closes and I sigh in relief.

I turn my attention back to the rest of the group. Alex is sitting off in a corner away from the others. I walk over to Marco, Ellie, and Beth.

"Well I didn't expect that to happen," Marco says.

I give Marco a pointed look. "Yeah because none of us thought Alex would go punch out a guy that might have potentially infected the woman she use to love with HIV," I say sarcastically. "Because Alex is known for being a very peaceful loving person." I'm shaking my head at him.

Ellie looks over at Alex. "Is she ok?" she asks concerned.

"I don't know," I tell her. "But I'm going to go talk to her."

I walk over to Alex and sit in the seat beside her. She's not talking and neither am I. Quite frankly I'm waiting for her to talk first because I don't want to say the wrong thing. I hear sniffling and I've just now noticed that Alex has tears coming down her face. I don't know if they're tears of anger or sadness.

Alex sighs. "I smoked weed, wore a dress, didn't deliver those damn reminders and she broke up with me and kicked me out. Griffin endangers her life by having sex with her without tell her he's HIV positive and she stays with him." Alex laughs bitterly. "Of course she breaks up with the guy and stays with the girl."

"Alex I don't think that's exactly it," I tell her.

"Whatever Jordan, it doesn't matter. I don't care anymore."

"Of course you care Alex. If you didn't care then you wouldn't have let Griffin experience your right hook. By the way, nice to know you still have a good right hook."

A small smile appears on Alex's face. "Thanks. Glad to know I still got it."

"Yeah, but next time how about we not punch someone out in the hospital? I'd rather not get kicked out on a very important family day."

"Do not tell Mom and Dad," Alex says seriously.

"Yeah, because my first thought was to tell our parents that you gave your ex's boyfriend a shiner."

Alex shrugs her shoulders. We're sitting in silence now.

"Do you think they'll last?" Alex asks out of nowhere.

"I'm assuming you're talking about Paige and Griffin. I thought you didn't care."

Alex sighs. "I'll always care," she says quietly.

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**A/N: This chapter was actually suppose to be longer because it was suppose to include the birth of the new baby but it was already 5,749 words long so I figured that was long enough. Please leave reviews =) Also I know nothing about child birth and labor so I've been doing a lot of research to try to get stuff accurate. **


	22. Allow Me To Introduce My Little Brother

**A/N: HAHA! You guys probably thought I was gonna take another long ass hiatus. Nope! I'm here, don't worry. So this chapter is really just a filler only a little over 1500 words. Also I've decided to stop naming my chapters after song titles. I mean if I find a perfect song that goes with a chapter then I'll use it. If not then I'm not going to stress over it. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi. Nope  


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**I wonder what it was like the day I was born. I wonder if someone had gotten back together with the love of their life that day. I wonder if someone found out their ex might have been infected with HIV. I wonder if on the day I was born some lesbian out there gave her ex's boyfriend a black eye. I bet the day I was born wasn't as exciting as today has been so far. Alex and I will have to tell our little brother about the very exciting day he was born. If he's born today that is.

Ellie, Marco, Alex, Beth, and I are still in the waiting room, waiting. It's been two hours since the whole Alex punching Griffin fiasco and we're still waiting. It's about 7pm and I'm pretty sure all of our stomachs are growling since it is dinner time.

"Who knew child birth would take this long," Marco groans.

"When my mother had Simón she was only in labor for two hours," Beth tells us.

"Well no offense but when your mother had your brother she wasn't as old as dirt," Alex says.

The others snicker at Alex's comment and I'm just giving her an annoyed look.

"I can't believe you just said our mother is as old as dirt," I say seriously. "The woman who has put a roof over your head and food on the table for you for the past five months, the woman who gave you a car for your birthday, the woman who is helping pay for your college education, the woman-"

"Ok Jordan!" Alex exclaims, interrupting me. "I'm sorry. Mom isn't as old as dirt. She's just middle-aged."

"I'm never having kids if this is how long you're in labor for," Ellie says out-of-nowhere.

"I never wanted kids," I announce.

Beth is looking at me with a shocked expression on her face. "What?"

I take Beth's hand. "I want kids," I tell her. "I just don't want them coming out of me. I don't handle pain very well."

"You have a tattoo," she says bluntly.

I raise my hands up, one high and the other. "Child birth," I say indicating to the higher hand. "Tattoo," I indicate the lower hand." "Two very different kinds of pain. Also when you have a baby your vajayjay is never the same."

"Ew, thanks for that Jordan," Marco says.

I shrug my shoulders.

"Well I can't wait to have kids," Beth tells us. "It must be amazing having a tiny life growing inside of you."

"You make it sound like a parasite or alien growing inside of your body," Alex says. "A life form is growing inside of you, changing your body, making you eat a hundred pounds of food every day, making you pee every ten minutes, causing you to have major mood swings every five minutes, and pretty much making you crazy."

"Alex, only you would make pregnancy sound like an alien invasion of the human body," Beth says.

Alex shrugs her shoulders as if it's not a big deal.

"Jordan, Alex," a nurse call out our names. "Your mother is having the baby now."

Marco throws his hands up in the air. "Finally!"

Alex and I get up to walk to the room. I slap the back of Marco's head as I walk by.

"Hey!"

I continue walking, ignoring him. As Alex and I are getting closer to Mom's room I can hear yelling. Alex and I enter the room. Oh my God! Close the door! Close the door!

"Close the door!" I yell.

Alex quickly shuts the door. I've just been scarred for life. I saw… I saw…

"That was a part of your mother I never wanted to see," Alex says.

"How do you think I feel?" I have my hands over my eyes hoping I can block out the image I just saw.

"Well, now you got to see where you came from."

I take my hands off my eyes and start hitting Alex. "Why would you even say something like that?" I ask as I continue hitting her.

"Ok, ok," Alex says while trying to shield herself. "I'm sorry."

I stop hitting Alex. I slide down to the floor and sit with my back against the wall. Alex sits down beside me.

"We'll go back in when the baby is actually out," I tell Alex.

Alex is nodding her head. "Agreed."

"So… I know we kind of talked a little about it before but maybe we should talk about it again, explore it a little bit."

Alex gives me a confused look. "What are you talking aboot?"

"You going ape-shit on Griffin."

Alex sighs. "I punched him **once**," she says. "It's not like I beat the shit out of him."

"Maybe so but you still punched your ex's current boyfriend."

Alex throws her hands up in the air angrily. "So what!" she shouts. "He deserved it."

"Obviously you're not over Paige." Now I sound like a psychologist.

Alex looks at me. "Of course I'm over Paige. I'm with Sage now, my **girlfriend**, the girl who's coming up here next month to see me."

I'm shaking my head. "You're not completely over Paige, which is ok and understandable. I mean she was your first love. You two went through a lot together. Paige helped you realize your true potential; she brought out your inner lesbian; she-"

"Enough Jordan," Alex says forcefully.

Alex is looking at me. She doesn't seem pissed, just tired. Alex runs her hand through her hair.

"Do I care about Paige? Yes, of course I do. I'll always care about here. However, am I still head-over-heels in love with her? No, I'm not. I'm over Paige, I have Sage now. Paige moved on and so did I. I'm over her."

That was a nice little monologue, too bad it didn't convince me. I don't believe what Alex just said and I'm not sure if she actually believes it either. Looking into her eyes I can tell Alex isn't 100% over Paige. She's saying it to me and herself in hopes that one day it'll be true."

The door to Mom's room opens and a nurse pokes her head out.

"Girls, the baby is here," she tells us with a smile on her face.

Alex and I get up and walking into the room. Mom is holding a small baby in a blue blanket while Brian is standing next to her beaming.

Mom looks up, noticing us. "Girls, come meet your brother," she says.

Alex and I approach the bed slowly. We get to the bed and I peer down, looking at the bundle of joy. Aw, it's a baby! It's a tiny cute little baby.

"He's so tiny," I whisper. I take his hand and he immediately wraps his tiny hand around my finger. "Strong too."

I look up at Brian and he has tears in his eyes. Aw, he's crying.

"What's his name," Alex asks.

"Matisse," Brian says. "Matisse Allen Johnson."

"MAJ as in major?" I ask. "Nice Dad, nice."

Brian smiles and shrugs his shoulders. "I was thinking MJ because that could be his nickname but if you want to call him Major…"

I'm shaking my head, slightly laughing.

"Do you want to hold him?" Mom asks me.

I'm nodding my head. I lean down as Mom begins to hand Matisse to me.

"Make sure to hold his head," she tells me.

"Not my first time holding a baby," I mutter.

I'm holding Matisse and I'm just in awe. He's so tiny but his head is kind of big. He has a lot of black hair on the top of his big head and his eyes are closed. He's still holding on to my finger.

"Hi Matisse," I whisper. "I'm Jordan, you're cool big sister. I'm going to teach you how to play guitar and basketball. You're lucky you have me as a sister buddy. I'm going to protect you because that's what family does for one another. Family protects each other."

I swear I just felt his grip tighten. Nice to know he agrees with me.

"Hey, stop hogging him," Alex says.

I roll my eyes. She can be so childish sometimes. I carefully hand Matisse over to Alex.

Alex sort of gasps in amazement. "Hey buddy," she greets Matisse quietly. "I'm your other sister, adoptive sister, Alex. Let me tell you Matisse, you picked the right family to be born into. Your parents – I mean OUR parents are really great and pretty cool and I know you're going to be a pretty cool kid."

Alex smiles and looks up at me and then looks at our parents. I turn around to also look at them. Brian is still crying but he's smiling and although Mom is exhausted she's also smiling. This day went from me being sad and depressed, to getting back together with Beth, to Alex punching someone, and ended with a new edition to the family. I hope Matisse is ready for the craziness.

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**A/N: I should have the next chapter up sometime this week. Next chapter Paige and Sage will meet! *evil laughing* please leave reviews =)**


	23. Past Meets the Present

**A/N: so TODAY is my birthday so I decided to give myself a present by updating this story. GREAT present. It would make my bday really awesome if all of you left me reviews =)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi. But maybe if I get enough bday money I can =)  


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**They say babies cry because they're either hungry, need to be changed, frustrated, sick, or just want to be held. I've come to the conclusion that Matisse is an attention whore baby because he is ALWAYS crying. I mean half the time he's not even wet or hungry and what's he got to be frustrated about? He's a baby, it's not like he's been out in the real world yet. Don't get me wrong, I love him I really do. I just wish he wouldn't cry all the time.

"Waa! Waa!"

"Ugh," Alex groans. "Turn the damn monitor off."

Alex and I are in my room right now trying to relax. Unfortunately our relaxation has just been interrupted by our crying little brother.

"You know I'm not allowed to do that," I tell Alex.

Mom and Brian bought a box set of baby monitors the day they came back home. The rule is that whenever Matisse is taking a nap by himself we all have to have our monitors on. There's a monitor is every single room of the house, even the bathrooms. This new baby monitor rule has ruined a couple of Jordan-Beth sexy time moments.

"How am I supposed to have Sage spend a week with us with a baby crying every five minutes?" Alex asks.

I shrug my shoulders. "I don't know why you invited her in the first place when you knew we would have a newborn here," I tell her.

The crying continues and my head is starting to hurt. I groan and put my hands over my eyes.

"This is worse than the time Beth had to do that stupid Home Ec. assignment," I say.

_(Flashback) _

_ Best thing about parents being gone for the night is that you can bring your girlfriend over for a make out session without having to worry about being interrupted or spied on. It's Friday night and as usual, when we have Fridays off, Beth and I double-dated with Paige and Alex. Only difference is that this time I didn't have to drop Palex off at Paige's house where Paige would have to sneak Alex in and then explain to her parents why her bedroom door was locked, and Beth and I didn't have to make out in my car at the park. Nope, while the parents are away Jordan and friends will use the house to play._

_ Right now Beth and I are on the couch making out while Palex is on the armchair doing their thing with Paige sitting on Alex's lap._

_ "Waa! Waa!"_

_ Oh you have got to be kidding me. Beth and I break apart and I groan._

_ "Doesn't that thing have an off switch?" Alex asks. She looks and sounds as frustrated as I feel._

_ "No Alex, it doesn't have an off switch," Beth says._

_ Beth gets up from the couch and walks over to the coffee table to pick up the fake baby. She picks it up and starting rocking back and forth and patting it on its back._

_ "I don't even understand why you brought the stupid thing with you," I say frustrated._

_ "Because it's part of my assignment, I have to take the baby with me everywhere like a real parent would do."_

_ "A real parent would have hired a baby-sitter," I mutter._

_ "This is a huge part of my final grade. Do you want me to fail Home Ec.?" Beth raises an eyebrow._

_ "No," I answer her. I cross my arms. "I also don't want to be interrupted when I'm making out with you."_

_ "I don't understand the point of the stupid assignment," Alex says._

_ "The point is to show us how hard parenting can be," Beth says. "It's another way of the school telling us not to get pregnant in high school."_

_ "Who gets pregnant in high school?" I ask._

_ "Liberty Van Zandt," Paige answers bluntly._

_ "Oh yeah, I forgot about her." I turn to Beth. "Your teacher knows you're a lesbian right? I highly doubt you're going to get pregnant on accident anytime soon."_

_ "Unless you're packing something we don't know aboot," Alex says seriously, looking at me._

_ I grab the pillow next to me and throw it. Paige quickly veers out of the way and the pillow hits Alex square in the face._

_ "Hey!" Alex yells._

_ "Say something stupid and you get a pillow to the face," I tell her._

_ Alex looks up at Paige with a hurt expression. "You didn't even try to stop it," she says. "You moved out of the way."_

_ "I'm sorry hon," Paige apologizes while stroking Alex's cheek. "Will a kiss make it better?"_

_ "Maybe," Alex says slyly and smiles._

_ And they're off. Geez, those two look like they're eating each other's faces. They're like fused together. Jeez…_

_*End of Flashback*_

I no longer hear crying over the baby monitor but I can still hear it somewhere. Brian enters the room carrying a crying Matisse.

"Girls!" Brain yells over the wailing which seems to have made Matisse cry even louder. "Can one of you take Matisse please so I can make his bottle?"

"Where's Mom?" I ask.

"At work!"

I roll my eyes and hold my arms out. "Give me the little crying machine!" I tell Brian.

He hands me Matisse and thanks me as he's leaving my room. Great, now I have a crying, wailing baby in my arms. I'm doing the rocking back and forth thing to try to calm him down but it's not working.

"Come on Matisse," I say. "Let's try to calm down buddy."

I look over at Alex and for some reason she has her hand over her chest like she's trying to find her heart beat. I raise my eyebrow.

"What are you doing?" I ask her.

Alex holds up her other hand. "Shush," she says. Alex takes a couple more seconds and now she has her arms out.

"What?" I ask her.

Alex rolls her eyes. "Give me Matisse!" she says slightly annoyed.

I hand Matisse over to her. She places him against the spot she had her hand over and starts patting his back.

"Its ok buddy," she says in a soothing voice.

Matisse is actually calming down. Oh my God, he's stopped crying and now all I can hear is baby gurgles. How the hell did she do that?

"How did you do that?" I ask, amazed.

"I read somewhere that hearing a heartbeat calms a baby down," Alex tells me. "You just needed to hear someone's heart beating, didn't you buddy?" Alex asks Matisse in a quiet voice.

Brian appears at the door and he looks as shocked as I did a few minutes earlier. He's holding a baby bottle hand in one hand with a towel over his shoulder.

"How'd you do that?" Brian asks Alex.

"I think he just wanted some attention and hearing my heart beating calmed him down," Alex tells him.

I look at Matisse. Aw, he fell asleep. I can hear his little baby snores. He's so precious.

"Matisse fell asleep," I whisper.

Alex looks down at the sleeping baby. "I'll go put him in his crib," she whispers.

"Thank you," Brian whispers and he heads back downstairs as Alex puts Matisse in his crib in our parents' room.

_I'm A Barbie Girl, In the Barbie World.__Life in Plastic, It's Fantastic._

Paige is calling me. Hmm, this could be interesting. I've talked to her a few times after that day at the hospital but her and Alex haven't really spoken to each other. A couple of weeks ago Alex and I went to the mall and we ran into Paige there. It was so awkward and tense I pretended to have really bad cramps just so Alex and I could leave.

I flip open my phone. "Hey Paige."

"Hey hon," Paige says. "What's up?"

"Oh nothing. Alex just got Matisse to stop crying so the house is quiet and peaceful for now."

"Oh. How is Alex by the way?"

"She's good. Did you call for a specific reason?"

"Yes. I know you and Alex are heading back to school in aboot a month and we haven't all really had the chance to hang out yet. I actually have a day off from work tomorrow so I was thinking we could all catch a movie, maybe go miniature golfing. Whadda ya say hon?"

This could be interesting. "Well tomorrow is the day Alex's girlfriend is flying in," I tell her.

"Really?" she sounds interested. "I'd like to meet Alex's new beau."

And this is where I become a bitch because messing with Alex is just so much fun. I know she's probably going to kill me for this later but it will definitely be worth it.

"You should come to the airport with us to pick her up," I tell Paige.

"Really?" Paige asks surprised. "Would Alex be ok with that hon?"

If Paige could see my smile right now she would know I'm up to something. The mischievous, evil smile that's on my face right now probably makes me look like a villain.

"Alex would be delighted if you went with us to pick her up," I tell Paige in a reassuring voice.

"Ok hon, if you're sure," she says cautiously.

"I'm totally sure Paige. The flight is scheduled to arrive at one so we'll pick you up around noon. Where do you live now?"

"You can just pick me up at my parent's."

"Ok, see you tomorrow."

"Alright, see you then hon."

I close my phone and start laughing.

"What are you laughing aboot?"

I turn around and Alex is standing in the doorway looking at me with a raised eyebrow. I look at my phone, and then back at her.

"Beth sent me a funny text," I lie.

"Oh…"

I smile. Alex is going to hate me tomorrow but it'll totally be worth it.

**Next Day:  
**Alex and I are on our way to pick up Beth right now and then we're going to pick up Paige, not that Alex knows. Actually Alex looks really nervous right now. She keeps bouncing her leg up and down.

"What is wrong with you?" I ask her.

"I'm a little nervous," Alex answers.

"Nervous about what?"

"Nervous aboot seeing Sage. It's been two months since we last saw each other. What if she met someone when she went home?"

My eyebrows furrow in confusion. "You and Sage talk to each other on the phone almost every other day. If she met someone I'm pretty sure she would have told you."

"Maybe she wanted to tell me to my face," Alex says, sounding paranoid.

"Do you hear yourself right now? You need to calm down."

We pull up to Beth's house and I send Beth a text telling her we're here.

"Alright, get in the back," I tell Alex, pointing to the back seat with my thumb.

"What?"

I look at Alex and start to chuckle. "You really think I'm going to allow you to ride in the front therefore putting my girlfriend in the back of MY car? You must be out of your mind."

Alex rolls her eyes. She gets out of the car while muttering something. She opens the back door and gets back in still muttering. Beth walks out of her house and gets into the car.

"Hi," she greets me sweetly.

"Hello there," I greet her back. We share a quick kiss.

Beth turns around and looks at Alex. "Hey Alex," she greets her.

Alex has her arms crossed. "Hey," she says flatly.

Beth turns back around and looks at me. She quirks an eyebrow.

"What's wrong with her?" Beth asks me.

"Don't worry about it," I tell her. I look in the rearview mirror at Alex. "She's just being a brat."

I begin to drive. Alex isn't saying anything. If she's that upset about sitting shotgun then I know she's about to be pissed. I'm supposed to keep straight to get to the airport from Beth's house but I turn right to go to Paige's.

"Airport was straight Jordan," Beth says.

"I know," I tell her. "I just need to make a quick stop."

I continue driving to Paige's without anyone catching on. I turn into Paige's neighborhood and I see Alex straighten up a bit. She's eyeing me suspiciously.

"Jordan…" Alex starts.

"Just enjoy the ride," I tell her.

I turn onto Petworth Street, Paige's street.

"Jordan, what are you doing?" Alex asks angrily.

I don't answer but continue driving. My cell phone beeps, telling me I have a new text message. I'll get to it later. I pull in front of Paige's house and quickly beep the horn.

"I'm going to kill you," Alex whispers threateningly into my ear.

I turn to look at her. Man, if looks could kill I'd definitely be dead by now. I turn back around and get my cell phone. I flip my phone open to read the text message.

_What are you doing? – Beth_

I look at Beth and smile. I text her back.

_Having some fun._

Beth reads the message and then looks back at me. She rolls her eyes.

I turn back to look at Paige's house. The front door opens and there she is. She's walking to the car with a smile on her face. Aw, she's happy. Paige gets into the car.

"Hey!" she greets us excitedly.

"Hey Paige!" I greet her with a huge grin on my face.

Beth turns around in her seat. "Hey," she greets Paige.

Alex says nothing. She's just looking straight ahead with her arms still crossed. Jeez, she's such a grouch. Everyone is buckled in so I start driving to the airport.

"Lexi, I'm really happy you're letting me come with you to pick your girlfriend up," Paige tells Alex.

A look of confusion appears on Alex's face. "What?"

"Hon, I know we're had our differences these past few months but I really do appreciate you letting me tag along," Paige continues.

I think Paige might have just tried to place her hand on top of Alex's. I can't tell though because my review mirror doesn't let me see that low and I'm trying to drive at the same time.

"Paige I don't know what Jordan told you but-"

I crank the volume on the radio up so Paige can't hear Alex.

"I really like this song!" I yell.

Beth is giving me a look and shaking her head at me. I just smile.

**Airport:  
**We're at the airport walking to the area we're suppose to meet Sage at. The rest of the car ride consisted of Paige talking about her job. Alex was giving me a death glare in the rearview mirror the whole time. I could tell her jaw was clenched and so were her fists. Alex was not a happy camper during that car ride.

Right now Paige and Alex are walking ahead while Beth and I are about five feet behind them.

"You are so mean," Beth tells me quietly.

"I'm not mean," I argue. "I'm letting Alex's ex-girlfriend meet her current girlfriend. I'm introducing the past to the present. Sounds pretty nice and interesting to me."

"What if I just randomly brought one of my ex's on one of our dates? What if I brought one of my ex-boyfriends? How would you feel about that?"

I stop walking and look at her. "You have ex-boyfriends?" I ask shocked.

Beth is nodding her head. "Yep," she answers. "You've actually met one of them. John Stokes."

My jaw drops. "You dated John Douche Bag Stokes? What the hell!"

"See, not everyone likes surprises." Now she's walking away.

I can't believe she fucking dated John Jackass Stokes. Well there goes my day. I run to catch up with the others. We reach our destination and now we just wait.

I'm sitting in my seat with my arms crossed with an upset look on my face.

"What's wrong with you?" Alex asks.

"Oh nothing," I say nonchalantly and shrug my shoulders. "I just found out my girlfriend dated John Asshole Stokes."

"Oh yeah, I forgot you dated him in grade nine," Alex says.

"You knew?"

"Hon, everyone knew," Paige says as if it's not a big deal. "They won Ice Queen and King that year. That's how cute of a couple they were."

I narrow my eyes and give Paige a death look.

"I'm going to shut up now," she says.

"Hey, didn't you break up with John and then date Heather Sinclair for like two weeks that year?" Alex asks Beth.

Oh my fucking God! You have got to be kidding me! I turn my head quickly and look at Beth.

"You dated Heather Sinclair?"

Beth shrugs her shoulders. "I obviously had low standards in grade nine," she says as if it's not a big deal.

I'm shaking my head. I can't believe Beth dated John Assface Stokes and Heather Bitch Sinclair. Who else did she fucking date?

"Not so fun when the past meets the present after all is it?" Beth asks in a whisper.

I point at her angrily. "I'm not talking to you," I tell her.

I stand up and go stand next to Alex. Alex is laughing a little bit. That's ok, because we're going to see who's laughing in a little bit. I check my watch and walk over to the TV sets that show the flights. Well according to this thing her flight arrived on time which was about ten minutes ago. I walk back over to Alex.

"We should be seeing Sage in a few minutes," I tell Alex.

"Ok," she says nervously.

I place a hand on Alex's shoulder. "Are you ready?"

"I hope so."

"Lexi!"

Alex and I turn in the direction we just heard the voice come from. There's Sage, wearing a skirt, a garnet polo shirt, and a huge grin on her face. She has a roller suitcase in one hand and she's waving with the other. I look at Alex and she's wearing the same smile.

"Go ahead," I tell her.

Alex walks quickly to Sage. Sage practically jumps into Alex's arms. They're so happy.

"So that's Alex's new girlfriend?" Paige is suddenly by my side.

"Yep," I tell her.

Paige had her arms crossed. What's wrong with her?

"I'm the only one that calls Alex "Lexi"," she says

"And Jay," I mutter.

Alex and Sage are walking toward us hand and hand. I'm noticing that Paige is staring at their intertwined hands, like she's trying to burn a hole into them. Alex whispers something to Sage that makes her laugh. They're getting closer to us. I notice Paige uncrossed her arms and put on her nice fake look. Beth is suddenly at my other side, these girls appear out of nowhere. The happy couple finally reaches us.

"So, that's Beth, Jordan's girlfriend," Alex introduces Sage to Beth.

"You already seem better than Tammy," Sage tells Beth.

Beth smiles. "I like you already," she tells her.  
Sage turn to looks at me. "Jordan, as always nice to see you," Sage says. We share a quick hug.

"Nice to see another native Floridian in Canada," I tell her.

Alex and Sage turn their attention to Paige. By the looks on Paige's face I'm going to guess she also sees the similarities between her and Sage. Alex looks as nervous as hell. Paige quickly gets over the facial similarities and sticks her hand out.

"I'm Paige," she says in her Queen-Bee voice.

Sage takes Paige's hand and shakes it. "Hi," she says unfazed by Paige's attitude. "I'm Sage."

Paige's face sort of falls and looks like its saying "oh crap". Alex looks like she's about to shit herself. Who's laughing now? Ha ha.  


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**Disclaimer: That's my version of a sort of kind of cliff hanger. Leave reviews please! =)**


	24. Paige vs Sage

**A/N: So I gave blood today and then I passed out twice, not cool. I really hope you guys find the ending interesting. =)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi or it's characters.  
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**When you have five people and a car that seats five people what do you do? Well of course you have two in the front and three in the back. When you have three in the back they tend not to have much arm room so one would make sure the three in the back liked on another and were comfortable being close to one another. Not me though, I made the backseat uncomfortable.

The car is full of unspoken tension and slight anger. I'm still upset at Beth for not telling me about her past relationships before today. Now every time I kiss her I'm going to be thinking about how her lips were once on John Jackhole Stokes and Heather Bitch Sinclair. Ugh, I think I'm going to throw up now. I look at the review mirror and laugh quietly. Paige is sitting in the middle between Sage and Alex. I told Paige I needed her to sit in the middle because she's the shortest and wouldn't block my view. It's half true; she is about two inches shorter than Alex and Sage.

"So Sage," Paige starts. "What do you plan on majoring in?"

"I'm double majoring in economics and business administration," Sage says.

I see Paige's eyes widen a bit.

"Wow hon, that's impressive," Paige says. The way she said it makes it seems like she's trying not to seem impressed.

"Well my father owns a couple of car dealerships back home so I guess I got the business bug from him."

"What does your mother do?"

"She's an administrator at a Boys and Girls Club."

"That's nice."

"Yeah, I love volunteering there. The kids are so amazing and inspiring."

I look back at the rearview mirror. Alex is grinning from ear to ear, probably thinking her girlfriend is the most amazing person in the world. Paige is starting to look like the old Paige, Degrassi's Queen-Bee Paige. I feel like any minute now Paige is going to say something that will either insult Sage is a clever subtle way or say something to make herself look really good.

"Where do you go to school Paige?" Sage asks.

"I don't go to school," Paige answers.

Alex snickers. I never thought a snicker could sound so bitter but that one sure did.

"I work at the fashion magazine Dabenshire," Paige tells Sage proudly.

Although I can't see Paige at this very moment I know she's smirking.

"That must be exciting," Sage says.

Alex snorts and I laugh quietly to myself.

"I've always been into fashion and it's great that I'm working in the industry now.'

"So you get to pitch ideas and meet designers?"

Alex busts out laughing. I look at the rearview mirror and Paige looks slightly embarrassed but I can tell she's trying to keep her Queen-Bee persona up.

"Not exactly," Paige says.

Alex is still laughing but it's a bit quieter now.

"I'm mostly an assistant right now but I'm moving up slowly but surely. I do get to pitch some ideas every now and then," Paige says.

"Like instead of getting everyone regular lattes you suggest soy lattes?" Alex asks seriously.

"Alex…" I say in a warning tone. She's looking at me through the rearview mirror and I'm looking back at her, warning her with my eyes.

"Ha ha hon," Paige laughs sarcastically. "Actually it's more like when we had a photo shoot a few months back the editor-in-chief of the magazine didn't like the way the photos looked and I suggested black and white and he agreed with me," Paige tells us. And there's the Queen-Bee attitude.

I pull up to Paige's house. Part of me is happy this ride is over.

"Well ladies this is my stop," Paige tells us. "It was…fun hanging out." Paige turns to Sage. "Nice meeting you hon." And there's the fake smile.

"You too Paige," Sage says sincerely.

Alex opens her door and gets out of the car to let Paige our. I also get out of the car. Alex and Paige are just standing there, not really sure how to say good-bye. They finally share a very awkward hug. A hug between my birth dad and me would have been less awkward than the hug I just witnessed.

"Uh, I guess I'll see you later," Alex says.

"Bye Lexie," Paige says.

"I'll walk you to the door," I tell Paige.

Alex gets back in the car as Paige and I begin our walk to her door.

"So Alex seemed surprised to see me," Paige says.

I chuckle nervously and look down. "Surprises are nice sometimes," I tell her.

"Well I don't think she liked this one hon," Paige says. "Was there some kind of plan you had or something?"

I look up. "No," I tell her. "It's just that we all haven't hung out since high school… and I figured you and Sage meeting would be interesting."

"Well it was interesting."

Paige and I reach the front door. Paige turns and looks at me.

"It's freaky how much she looks like me and her name is so close to mine. She's even majoring in something I failed to do after one semester at Banting." Paige is looking at me with slightly sad and confused eyes. "Is Alex trying to replace me with a more successful version of me?"

Oh no, I can't believe Paige would think that. This is one of those rare moments where Paige shows her vulnerable side. I pull Paige into a hug.

"Of course she's not replacing you," I tell her. "No one in the world could replace the great Paige Michalchuk." I pull Paige slightly away from me and look her in the eyes. "You're one of a kind Paige," I tell her sincerely.

"Thanks hon," Paige says.

"No problem. How about you join us for miniature golf tonight?" I ask her. "You did say yesterday that you wanted to do that."

"No offense hon but I do not want to be the fifth wheel," she says.

"Ellie is coming too, so you won't be the fifth wheel. It'll be great, just like the old days." I clasp my hands together. "Please Paige," I beg. "It'll be fun," I sing.

A small smile appears on Paige's face. There we go.

"Ok fine," she says.

"Alright!" I pump my fist into the air. "We're going to the usual place so I'll call Ellie and tell her to pick you up."

Paige is laughing and nodding her head. "Ok Jordan, I'll see you tonight."

"Later." I walk back to the car and get in.

"Took you awhile," Beth says.

"Yeah, Paige and I just needed to talk," I tell her.

I drive to Beth's house. The car ride is silent except for Alex and Sage whispering things to each other. I pull up in front of Beth's house.

Beth turns around. "I'll see you two later tonight," she tells Alex and Sage.

Beth leans in to give me a kiss. I turn my head so her lips kiss my cheek instead.

"I'll see you tonight," I tell her.

Her face sort of falls and she just nods her head. Beth gets out of the car and walks to her front door. She turns around and waves at me. I wave back and begin driving home.

"What was that aboot?" Alex asks.

"Nothing," I mutter.

I drive us home. I pull into the drive-way. Alex helps Sage grab her stuff from the trunk while I open the front door.

"We're here," I announce in a normal tone of voice, in case Matisse is sleeping.

Mom and Brian walk into the foyer. Brian is holding Matisse who is currently focusing all his baby attention on the bottle that is in his mouth. Alex and Sage come in behind me.

"I'll be upstairs napping," I tell them quickly.

As I'm going up the stairs I can hear my parents introducing themselves to Sage and vice versa. They sound really excited to be meeting her. Yay, everyone is excited and happy, except for me.

I flop down on my bed and bury my face into my pillow. I know I shouldn't be upset about who Beth dated before me because it's all in the past but I can't help it. I just need sleep.

**Hours Later:  
**I think I hear someone calling my name. I'm currently in that weird stage where I'm half asleep and half awake, so the voice could be in my dream.

"Jordan," the voice calls out my name again.

I slowly open my eyes. I think I see Beth but I'm not entirely sure. I begin rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. I sit up and yawn.

"Hi," I greet her in a sleepy voice.

"Hi," she says quietly.

"What are you doing here?" I ask with curiosity in my voice.

"I came to talk to you."

I sigh. "About what?"

"Aboot you obviously being upset aboot what I said earlier which, by the way, I don't even know why you're upset about it."

I laugh bitterly. "Why? Why? Maybe because today I just found out that my girlfriend dated guys before me and Heather Sinclair. Who the hell dates Heather Sinclair?" I mean seriously. Anyone who has ever met Heather knows she's the evilest person on the whole planet. It's been rumored that she's the Devil's spawn and I whole heartedly believe that. And God knows who else Beth dated before me.

"You're really upset about who I dated before you, before I even knew you?" Beth is shaking her head. "You're being ridiculous."

I get up from my bed and close my door. I turn back around and look at Beth.

"I'm not being ridiculous," I tell her sternly. "I think it's unfair that I'm just now finding out about who you dated before me."

"It's not like we ever had a conversation about our past relationships!" Beth exclaims. "Besides, why does it even matter?"

"Because it does!" I yell and throw my hands up into the air.

"The past is the past Jordan." Beth places her hand on my shoulder. "I'm with you now and that's all that matters.

I shrug her hand off. Adrenaline is pumping through my veins. It feels like my emotions have just boarded a rollercoaster.

"Your past affects your present and future," I tell her.

"Fine, you want to talk about past relationships?" Beth asks angrily. "How many people have you dated other than me?"

"Five and none of them were guys." I cross my arms.

Beth laughs bitterly. "So that's what this is really aboot? So what I dated a couple of guys, that shouldn't matter."

"Did you have sex with any of them?"

Beth crosses her arms and looks at me angrily. "No," she says sternly. "Unlike you the only person I've ever slept with is standing right in front of me."

What? I'm… I'm the only one? I drop my arms.

"I'm the only one?" I ask quietly.

"Yeah you are," Beth answers softly.

I sit down on my bed. Now I sort of feel like an asshole. Here I am yelling at her about dating other people before me when I'm the only person she's had sex with and I've had sex with two other girls.

"I may have dated a few people before you and yeah some of them were guys but you're the only one I've ever fallen in love with," Beth says sincerely. She walks over to me and rests her forehead against mine. "Now tell me the real reason why you're upset."

I sigh. "Tenth grade I found out my girlfriend at the time was cheating on me with a guy. Then she broke up with me for that same guy, saying she needed to feel "normal" and I was just an experiment. My confidence and self esteem was definitely shot for awhile after that"

I place my hands on Beth's hips and pull her body closer to mine.

"The thought of someone else kissing you, especially a guy, makes my blood boil and when you told me that you've dated guys before the fear of you leaving me for a guy appeared and I became angry and scared."

Beth quickly captures my lips with hers. This kiss is so loving and full of passion. I fall backwards on the bed, bringing Beth along with me. She pulls away and is looking me in the eyes.

"It doesn't matter who I dated in the past because I'm with you now and I love you, only you. I'm not going anywhere."

Beth kisses me softly. She pulls away and I exhale a breath of relief.

"I love you," I whisper.

"I love you too," she whispers back.'

**Mini-Golfing!  
**Growing up Brian would take me golfing with him all the time. He called it bonding, I called it boring. I'd only go so I could drive the golf cart, something that definitely wasn't allowed since I was under 16 but Brian let me do it anyway. Finally I told Brian I thought golf was the most boring activity in the world. He agreed with me, saying the only reason he played was to impress and entertain clients. The following weekend we decided to go mini-golfing instead. I ended up being really good at it.

Right now Alex, Sage, Beth and I are at Putting Edge, the coolest mini-golfing places on the planet. There's one in Orlando and on the anniversary of the day Brian and I met we would go there to play a couple of rounds. There's something about glow-in-the-dark miniature golfing that makes it more exciting. Alex is impatiently tapping her foot and keeps looking at her watch while holding hands with Sage.

"Ugh, Ellie is always late," Alex says.

"Calm down Alex," I tell her. "Ellie had to pick up Paige."

Alex looks at me and her eyes are a mix of anger and surprise. "Paige is coming?"

"Duh, we always go mini-golfing with Paige."

"Yeah, well that was before-" Alex stops herself and looks at Sage. "Whatever, it doesn't matter."

"Hey guys!"

We all turn our heads and see Ellie and Paige walking toward us. Whoa. You'd think Paige was here for a date instead of just a fun game with her friends. Paige is wearing a short jean skirt and a tight pink top. And I know Paige wears makeup but the makeup she has on now looks like she's trying to impress someone. I think we've all noticed Paige now.

"Hey Paige," Alex greets her first.

"Hey hon," Paige looks down at Alex and Sages linked hands and then back up and gives Alex her million dollar smile.

"For a girl who has a boyfriend it sure does look like she's trying to impress someone," Beth whispers in my ear.

"Yeah I know," I whisper back.

"Nice seeing you again Paige," Sage says.

"Same to you hon," Paige says and there's the fake smile.

"Hi, I'm Ellie," Ellie introduces herself to Sage.

Sage's face lights up. "Oh my God!" she exclaims. "You're Ellie? I've heard so much about you."

Sage quickly let's go of Alex's hand and hugs Ellie. Apparently she hasn't heard enough to know that Ellie isn't the biggest fan of hugs. Sage let's go of Ellie and has a big smile on her face.

"Alex told me you're quite the journalist and music buff," Sage says.

Ellie laughs nervously. "I guess," she says.

Alright enough of this, it's time to get to the game. I clap my hands loudly to get everyone's attention.

"Alright, enough chit-chat," I announce. "It's time to play. We split up into two teams with Alex and me as team captains."

"Um, hon do you think that's a good idea?" Paige asks. "I mean after what happened last time."

"What happened last time?" Beth asks me with a raised eyebrow.

"Alex decided to cheat, that's what happened," I tell her. "As long as Alex doesn't cheat everything will be civil."

"I didn't cheat!" Alex protests. "You're just a sore loser."

My competitive side emerges. "We'll see who the sore loser is this time Nuñez," I tell her threateningly.

"Bring it Johnson," Alex says in a confident tone. "Flip a coin to see who picks first."

Beth flips a coin and I call out tails. The coin lands on tails and I pump my fist and shout in triumph.

"Beth," I pick first.

"Sage," Alex picks.

"Ellie." Alex looks at me and gives me a dark look.

"Jordan…" Beth says in a warning tone. She probably thinks I picked Ellie so Alex would have to deal with Paige.

"It's not my fault Paige is the worst mini-golfer in the world," I tell Beth in a low voice.

"I can hear you hon," Paige says. She walks over to Alex and Sage. "I can assure you that we're going to kick your ass tonight."

I laugh, funniest thing I've ever heard.

"Yeah, ok Michalchuk."

**Hour Later:  
**Hmm let's see, we're currently on hole six out of nine. My team is under par by four and Alex's team is about fifteen over. Currently Paige is up on her sixth swing on a hole with a par of four.

"Nice to see your game has improved Paige," I tell her and laugh.

"Shut up Jordan!" Paige yells.

Paige is concentrating really hard on the ball. Paige swings and sends the ball zooming down the course. Not only was the ball too much to the left but it also hit the course wall, sending the ball back to Paige.

"Alex, please help her so we won't be here forever," Ellie tells Alex.

Alex rolls her eyes and walks up to Paige. "Paige you just need to relax and aim," Alex tells her.

"Lexie, I am relaxed and aiming," Paige says. "Can't you just help me please?"

Alex hesitates for a moment and sighs. "Yeah, sure," she says.

Alex stands behind Paige and places her arms and hands on top of Paige's. They're standing really close and it looks a little suspicious. I look over at Sage and her face is sort of unreadable, especially since I can't really see it. I turn back to look at Alex and Paige. Alex is guiding Paige's arms and they hit the ball. The ball travels down the course and finally goes into the hole. Paige squeals in happiness and hugs Alex.

"Lexie we did it!" Paige exclaims. She is way too happy.

"Yep, you finally got it in," Alex says and half smiles at her.

We move on to the next hole. When it's Paige's turn Alex, Ellie, and I take cover.

Sage raises an eyebrow. "What are y'all doing?"

"Last time we played this hole Paige somehow hit the ball so hard that it bounced off the wall, the tiki man, the treasure chest, and then hit me in the head," I tell her.

Paige places her hand on her hip. "Well maybe if someone hadn't been distracting me with certain hand gestures it wouldn't have happened," Paige says defensively and looks over at Alex.

I look at Alex. "And that's why I say you were cheating."

"I was giving her the peace sign!" Alex exclaims defensively.

"Yeah, a vulgar peace sign that also included your tongue."

"Not my fault Paige got distracted easily," Alex says nonchalantly.

"Didn't help that you had whispered dirty things in my ear the hole before it," Paige says.

I gasp. "Oh you so cheated!"

Alex smiles nervously. "Let's not focus on the past now," Alex says. "You can do this Paige. I believe in you."

Paige smiles and turns her focus on the ball and the hole at the end. Paige swings and hits the ball. The ball rolls down the course, goes through the tiki man, and… Oh my God! You have got to be kidding me! Paige just got a hole in one. What the hell?

"Yes!" Paige shouts, jumping up and down.

"Way to go Paige!" Alex cheers.

Alex runs up to Paige. She holds out her hand for a high-five. Somehow that high-five has turned into a hug. Sage clears her throat and Alex and Paige pulls away. Paige is still smiling though.

"That was a really good shot Paige," Sage tells Paige sweetly.

"Thanks hon," Paige says. "I guess I just needed some help." Paige looks over at Alex and smirks flirtatiously.

I roll my eyes. That's just ridiculous.

**After the Game Is Done:  
**My team won, of course. Even with Paige's magical hole in one and her making par on the rest of the holes Alex's team ended up being over par by ten while my team was under par by two. Because Alex's team lost they had to pay for dinner. We all grabbed our food and drinks and grabbed a table to sit at.

I raised my drink. "To the losers," I point to Alex, Sage, and Paige. "Thanks for dinner."

Alex narrows her eyes at me. "Put the drink down or I'll throw my chili dog at you Jordan," Alex warns.

"I'd rather you not throw any kind of substance at me Alex," I tell her. "Remember the last time you started a fight involving food and drinks?"

Alex points an accusing finger at me. "That was not my fault!" she says. "Paige is the one that decided to throw whipped cream at me."

"Hon, you decided to make me seem like a fatty by telling Hazel I liked sweets and ate three pieces of chocolate cheese cake on our two month anniversary," Paige says and playfully pushes Alex.

"It was true though!"

Paige starts laughing. "That was a fun event though," she says in between laughs.

"It wasn't fun for those of us that had to watch the horrific scene happen and then clean up afterwards," Beth says.

"We helped!" Alex exclaims. "Right after we got out of mall detention." Alex starts laughing.

"You mean after I had to come and get you," I corrected her.

"Security wouldn't have gotten us if Hazel hadn't dived over the counter for the whipped cream canister," Paige says while still laughing.

"Maybe we would have been in less trouble if you hadn't been throwing those biscotti pops!" Alex laughs.

Paige shrugs her shoulders. "I needed ammo to protect myself," she says.

Paige and Alex continue laughing remembering the good memory while Sage is just looking at the two of them, unable to participate in the flashback.

Oh, nature calls. "I'll be right back," I tell Beth.

"Ok."

I get up from the table and head to the bathroom. It's nice to see Paige and Alex getting along again but I can't help but feeling like Sage is feeling left out at some moments. I mean that is to be expected since she didn't go to high school with any of us so she doesn't know our history or the great times we had back then.

As I'm using the toilet I hear the restroom I hear the door open and someone is whistling a happy tune. I zip up my shorts quietly, not wanting to disturb the person's happy moment. I hear the restroom door open as I'm about to flush the toilet.

"Paige," a voice says. That's Sage's voice.

I stop myself from flushing the toilet, not wanting either of them to know I'm in here.

"Hi hon," Paige greets Sage.

"I think we need to talk."

I'm trying to see through the cracks of the stall door but it's pretty difficult. From what I can see Sage is approaching Paige.

"Aboot what hon," Paige asks confused.

"Don't try to act innocent Paige. You and I both know exactly what you're trying to do out there with MY girlfriend."

"I have no idea what you're talking aboot. I do know that it's not very nice to accuse someone of doing something."

Paige crosses her arms across her chest and it looks like the confident Queen-Bee side of her is starting to make an appearance but it doesn't seem like Sage is backing down.

"I know you flunked out of college after only one semester, but you're not stupid. Or maybe you are since for some strange reason you think it's ok to flirt with someone else's girlfriend, especially seeing as you currently have a boyfriend.

"Hon, I think you're being a bit delusional. Maybe all the glow-in-the-dark has made your mind see things that aren't really happening."

"The constant touching, the asking for "help" hitting the ball, the flirting with your eyes, and remember the good ole times. Please Paige; it's so obvious it's pathetic." Sage says, her voice dripping with venom.

Paige steps up to Sage. "Listen here clone, Alex and I are just friends. Besides, she's only dating you because you remind her of me. A less hot version of me, you're just the rebound girl."

Sage scoffs. "I remind her of you?" Sage asks in disbelief. "Please, if anything I remind her of how much of a failure and scared little bitch you are. I heard how you broke up with Alex, how you kicked her out. You should be ashamed of yourself but in a way I'm glad you did it because then Alex came to Florida and met me. If you're really going to compare us then I'd say Alex has definitely upgraded and I'm pretty sure her friends would agree, including Jordan."

How the hell did I get dragged into this? I have a feeling this is about to get real ugly, although I think it already got ugly about five minutes ago. Just by looking through the stall door crack I can tell Paige is furious.

"You little-"

Sage holds up her hand in Paige's face, interrupting whatever Paige was about to say. Sage puts her hand down closes the remaining space that was between her and Paige.

"Shut up and listen Paige," she says sternly. "I will say this once and one time only. Stop flirting with Alex. You broke up with her and she's with me now. You had your chance and then gave it up. If I see you flirting with her again or if I even hear about you trying to flirt with her I will personally kick your ass."

"Who the hell do you think you are?" Paige asks angrily.

"I believe I'm Alex's girlfriend and you're her ex, so start acting like it." Sage turns on her heel and starts walking away.

"Was that a threat?" Paige asks.

Sage laughs sort of evilly. "Oh no HON, that was a promise."

I hear the door open then close, indicating that Sage is now gone. I look through the stall door crack at Paige. She's looking at herself in the mirror.

"What the hell just happened?" Paige asks herself.

That's exactly what I was thinking. What the hell just happened?

**

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A/N: Wow Sage ain't no joke when it comes to someone messing with Alex. *whistles* Your reviews are like my drug. I can't get enough of them!**


	25. Hangin' with Paige

**A/N: So I broke something in my laptop that no longer allows my power cord to charge it so now my whole family is sharing one laptop. That's why this update is so late. But hey it's been less than a month since I last update. =)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi or it's characters. In fact I don't even think I know any of the characters on Degrassi this season.**

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There are three definitions of loyalty: number one, the quality of being loyal; number two, the act of binding yourself (intellectually or emotionally); and number three, feelings of allegiance. I know what loyalty is. I have loyalty to my country, my family, and my friends. That's why what happened in the bathroom a few days ago between Paige and Sage is still bothering me. After the bathroom incident Sage became really touchy-feely with Alex while Paige just shot daggers at Sage with her eyes. The night ended with a bit of tension in the air

I feel this need to talk to Sage, to tell her that what she did is not ok. I have to pick a time I can talk to her when Alex isn't around, which is hard. They're always together, except when one of them is using the bathroom. Even though my parents gave Sage one of the guest bedrooms to stay in I know she sneaks into Alex's room at night.

I need to get Alex away from Sage, just for about ten minutes. I need something or someone to distract Alex. Oo oo, idea! I grab my phone of my bed and dial.

"Hello?" Ellie answers her phone.

"Ellie!" I shout excitedly. "I need you to do me a favor."

"Does it involve me getting up?"

I look over at the clock on my night stand. Oh you have got to be kidding me.

"Ellie, it's one in the afternoon," I tell her. "You should already be up anyway."

Ellie groans. "It's summer," she tells me. "I'm allowed to sleep in."

"Well you're in luck because what I need you to do doesn't involve you having to get out of bed. I need you to call Alex and tell her you need to talk to her."

"Talk to her aboot what?"

"I don't know anything! You probably have some relationship advice you need or somethin'."

"What would make you think that?"

I lower my voice. "Listen, I know you haven't brought it up but I heard what happened with Jesse a few months ago. Call Alex and talk to her about that."

"Wow, thanks for reminding me about that Jordan. As if my life wasn't already tragic enough."

"Ellie please just do this for me," I beg. "Please."

Ellie groans. "Fine."

"Thank you!"

I flip my phone shut. I walk into the hallway close to Alex's room. I hear Alex's phone ring.

"Ellie?" I hear Alex answer the phone.

Alex walks out of her room talking on the phone. Here's my chance. I walk into the room, making sure Alex is far away enough to not hear the conversation I'm about to have with Sage. Sage is sitting on Alex's bed.

"Hey Sage," I greet her.

Sage smiles. "Hey Jordan, what's up?"

"Nothing, I just wanted to talk to you."

"Ok. What do you want to talk about?"

"Well here's the thing. I'm glad you're with Alex, I am. I haven't seen her this happy in a long time and her happiness means a lot to me. However I'm not happy about you threatening Paige."

Sage laughs nervously. "Jordan what are you talking about? I've never threatened Paige."

"Next time you go into a bathroom and you plan on threatening someone you might want to make sure no one else is there. I like you Sage, I do but I don't appreciate it when someone is threatening my friend."

Sage is shaking her head. "How can you stand up for someone who has hurt Alex so many times?"

I shrug my shoulders. "Because we've all made mistakes in our lives and Paige is one of those people where in order for her to learn she has to make mistakes. Listen, no matter how many mistakes Paige makes she's always going to be my friend and I know that although Alex probably won't say it for a long time I know the same goes for her."

Sage nods her head. "Fine I won't threaten her but know that I don't take too kindly to people who try to flirt with my girlfriend."

I nod my head. "Dually noted," I tell her.

Alex enters the room. "What's going on?" she asks.

"Nothing," I tell her. "Sage and I were just talking about stuff."

Alex looks slightly confused. "Um ok, well I just got off the phone with Ellie and she's feeling a bit down, so I was think maybe movie night tonight. It could be the four us of."

"Sorry, I actually already have plans," I tell Alex.

"Beth can join us too."

I shake my head. "Actually I'm hanging out with Paige tonight."

"Oh," Alex says.

I rock back and forth on my feet. "Yep." Can you say awkward silence in the room? "So I'm gonna go and I'll see you two later, yeah."

I leave the room. I wonder how bad Ellie made it sound in order to make Alex think she needs a movie night. Well I'm hanging out with Paige tonight. I decided after the whole mini-golf fiasco I should make it up to Paige, plus I actually haven't hung out with just her in a long time. This could be good for both me and her.

**Later That Night:  
**One of the things I like about the summers of Toronto versus the summers in Florida is that it's a tad bit cooler. Now don't get me wrong, it can get very hot and humid here in Toronto but back in Tampa most of the days were ridiculously hot with frequent thunderstorms through the summer and I don't have to worry about hurricanes here. Right now it's currently a nice cool 75 degrees with very little humidity, the perfect weather for a nice stroll in the park, which is exactly what Paige and I are doing right now.

"Hon, I don't understand why we couldn't go shopping or maybe go watch a movie," Paige says.

I throw my arm around her shoulder. "Because my dear Paige I wanted you all to myself," I tell her.

Paige raises an eyebrow. "Um hon, you do know I'm in a relationship right?"

I chuckle. "As am I Paige, as am I. What I meant is that I just wanted to spend some one-on-one time with my friend."

We walk over to a bench and sit down. The way we're facing right now is allowing us to see the sunset. There's nothing like a Canadian sunset.

"So how are things with Griffin?" I ask her. This is me being polite, not actually caring about the boy.

"Things are good hon," Paige answers. "I know that you don't actually care but thanks for pretending that you do."

I laugh a little bit. "You could always tell when I was being polite or actually caring about a question I ask. I just don't get why you're with him."

"Because of the whole him possibly infecting me with HIV part?"

I nod my head. "Yeah I mean doesn't that sort of say what kind of person he is?"

"No hon, it doesn't. I know that you and Alex think Griffin just sleeps around and that's how he got it in the first place but that's not true. Griffin was born HIV positive; he contracted it from his mom."

Ok, I'll admit, part of me feels like an ass now.

"Ok well that does change things a bit now," I say quietly. "But did he tell you that he was HIV positive before you two got to know each other on a different level?" I raise an eyebrow.

"I'm guessing you mean before we had sex and no."

"No offense Paige, I know you're a big girl and everything but why are you with this guy?"

"Being HIV positive is not the only thing Griffin is hon. He's smart, nice, funny, sweet, and I think if you and Alex got to know him then you'd really like him."

I scoff. "No matter what Alex would never ever like Griffin. She sees him as the enemy, as the person who can get away with stuff with you because society approves of you and Griffin more than you and Alex."

A look of confusion appears on Paige's face. "Does Lexi really think I'm still with Griffin because he's a guy?" Paige asks.

"You have to look at it from her point of view Paige. You broke up with Alex because you were choosing your job over her yet you stay with a guy who might have possibly given you a deadly virus and didn't tell you beforehand yet you're still with him. Alex sees this as you being scared once again and choosing society over what you're heart tells you."

Paige sighs heavily. "I didn't even think about it like that," she says. "I didn't choose to break up with Alex because she's a girl and I didn't choose to stay with Griffin because he's a guy. It's just with the whole Alex break up thing I was just starting a new job and she was… she was a distraction."

"A bad distraction?" I ask honestly.

Paige is shaking her head no. "I didn't say that," she says. "She was just a distraction."

I'm nodding my head, slightly understanding Paige. There is a question I have to ask though.

"Paige I have a question to ask and I need you to answer it honestly for me."

"Ok hon."

"What was that that happened when we were all playing mini golf?"

"What are you talking aboot?"

I look at Paige. "Number one the outfit, I mean don't get me wrong, you looked hot and everything and that's exactly what confused me. It looked like you were ready for a date."

Paige shrugs her shoulders. "I like to look good when I'm out in public," she says nonchalantly.

I eye her suspiciously. "Ok, I'll give you that one. But what about the flirting and being touchy feely with Alex?"

I notice Paige's cheeks just got a tad bit red. I guess I hit the nail on the head.

"I wasn't flirting with Alex."

I chuckle. "Oh Paige, I've known you long enough to know when you're flirting with your eyes, even if it's dark, and that my friend was some serious flirting you were doing. Also I'm not the only one that noticed."

I swear I just heard Paige gulp. A tiny look of fear is on her face. I throw my arm around her shoulder, trying to comfort her.

"Don't worry," I tell her. "I'd never let Sage hurt you."

Paige looks up at me surprised.

"It seems that I can never pee in peace because whenever I try someone always has to threaten someone else. But I will have to agree with Sage that it's not ok to flirt with someone else's girlfriend, especially seeing as you have a boyfriend."

Paige sighs. "I know I know," she says. "It's just Alex and I have all this history and when I'm around her… I just couldn't help it."

I squeeze Paige's shoulder in comfort. "You and Alex are the couple that no matter what there's always going to be something there even years after a break up. Nothing and no one can destroy that."

"Yeah, I guess," Paige says. "I don't like Sage," she says seriously.

I laugh. "Yeah, that was pretty obvious in the bathroom. So now I have a new question. How's work?"

Paige groans. "Andrea is still a bitch and I haven't really moved up at all and it seems like it's going to take years for it to happen."

"Paige what is your ultimate goal in life?" I ask her. "What is it that you want to do in the world? What mark do you want to leave? What's the bigger picture for you?" I wave my hand in front of us across the horizon.

"I want to start my own fashion line," Paige says. "I want everyone to know my name. I want celebrities to be lining up to wear the clothes I design. I want to set fashion trends."

"Will working at Dabenshire help you achieve that goal?"

Paige is shaking her head. "Honestly I don't know."

"Well maybe it's time to move on. Maybe it's time to think about approaching your goal from a different angle."

"What if I fail?"

I look Paige in the eyes. "In order to fly we first must jump."

"Humans can't fly hon."

I point a finger at her. "Not the point," I tell her sternly. "The point is that you have to try in order to succeed. Besides you're Paige Michalchuk, you can do anything you set your mind to and that you're passionate about."

"You really think so?" Paige asks with hope in her voice and eyes.

I wave her question off. "Psh I know so."

As Paige and I are sitting here watching the final moments of the sun setting I realize that I'm no longer on Alex's side because there is no side. I want to see both Alex and Paige happy and although they are on two different paths in their lives right now I know that sooner or later their paths will intersect and I'll probably be there when it happens.

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**A/N: I figured it was time for Jordan and Paige to have a heart-to-heart. I have no idea when I'll update again but I'll try to do it ASAP**


	26. Apple Wine is Wine

**A/N: So I still don't have my laptop, yeah... So halfway through writing this chapter the first time around I decided to take it in a different direction, yep. Hopefully I can have the next one out at least by next week.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi or it's characters. However next week I will own a bean bag video chair =)  
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There's a saying that says friends are the family you choose. Well I definitely believe that and because I believe that I feel like my family hasn't been a very good family lately. All of us haven't hung out lately like a family. I've been spending most of my time with Beth, Alex, or helping out with Matisse. Alex has been spending most of her time with me, talking on the phone with Sage, or playing with Matisse. Yeah, Alex is actually a big fan of babies believe it or not. The rest of the gang has been up to God knows what. Alex, Beth, and I are leaving to go back to Florida in two week which is why I decided to set up a little gang get together. Alex, Beth, Ellie, Marco, Paige, and I are all going to be at Paige's house hanging out, drinking wine, and remembering the good ol' days. We were going to invite Jimmy but he's off somewhere in Europe and I didn't think it'd be a good idea if Alex and Spinner were in the same room with each other.

I'm currently getting ready and dressed since we're having the get together at Paige's place. I know Alex is in the house somewhere but I don't know what she's doing or if she's even getting ready. I walk into her room. Alright she's not here. I walk into the music room. Once again she's not here. Where is she?

"Who's the best baby in the world? You are."

What the hell? I walk into Matisse's nursery. Alex is holding Matisse making funny faces and talking to him in a weird baby voice.

"Here comes the tickle monster," Alex tells Matisse and starts tickling his baby belly.

Matisse is giggling his little baby butt off. I find this cute yes slightly disturbing. I've never seen this side of Alex.

"Aw, and people think you're a bad ass but you're really just a big softie," I say out loud.

Alex looks up and narrows her eyes at me. "If you tell anyone about this…"

"You'll kill me with your monster tickles?" I ask seriously.

Matisse giggles. I smile and take him from Alex.

"Yeah, your favorite sister made a funny," I tell him.

Alex gets up from the rocking chair and walks over to Matisse and me. She looks at Matisse.

"Obviously Jordan doesn't know who your actual favorite sister is," she tells him.

"Obviously Alex has forgotten who can give you a kidney or a piece of her liver if you ever need one," I tell Matisse.

Alex sighs. "You always pull the kidney/liver card."

I'm nodding my head. "Yep."

Matisse yawns. Aw, nothing is cuter than a baby yawn, trust me.

"Time for someone to go to sleep," I say. I kiss Matisse on his forehead. I hand him to Alex. "Go ahead and put him in his crib and I'll tell Mom and Dad we're leaving."

Alex nods her head. "Ok, I'll meet you downstairs."

I walk to the 'rents' room. I knock before I open the door and stick my head in. They're both in bed reading. Mom is wearing her reading glasses while reading a parenting magazine and Brian is reading _Charlie and the Chocolate Factory_. My father is a weird man.

"Alex just put Matisse to sleep and we're about to leave for Paige's," I tell them.

"Who's driving?" my mom asks without looking away from her magazine.

"I think I am," I tell her.

"Will there be drinking?" Brian asks.

"There will be wine. If I'm not fit to drive either Alex will drive back or we'll sleep over at Paige's."

They're both nodding their heads.

"Be safe," my mom says.

"Always am," I tell her. I close the door and walk down the stairs.

I walk into the kitchen where we keep all the keys. Alex is standing with her keys in her hands. Oh God…

"I'm driving," she says while smiling at me mischievously.

"Only if you go the speed limit," I tell her sternly while pointing my finger.

"What's the point of having a mustang if you're not going to go fast?"

I'm shaking my head. "You're going to kill me and yourself. Plus I'm pretty sure you don't want Mom and Dad to find out about anymore speeding tickets."

"They won't find out since I pay my own insurance."

I'm shaking my head at her because as usual, she's wrong. "They ALWAYS find out, trust me," I tell her seriously.

"Psh, whatever," Alex says.

Alright, you're my witness. When Alex gets in trouble with the 'rents I'll be able to say "I told ya so" without her getting mad at me about it. I can't wait. I love the moments when I'm right and Alex is wrong.

"What are you smiling aboot?" Alex asks suspiciously.

Oops, I guess I was doing my 'I'm going to prove you wrong' smile. "Nothing," I lie. Oh it's going to be another sweet moment.

**After A Crazy Drive to Paige's:  
**Oh my God, I'm alive. I have my hands all over my body to make sure I'm in one piece.

"Thank you God," I whisper.

"Shut up, my driving is not that bad," Alex says.

"Can you not read the speed limit signs? The speed limit is 50km you were going 80!"

"You're such a pansy sometimes."

We've arrived at Paige's place, in one piece, surprise surprise. I can't believe I let Alex drive. What the hell was I thinking? I open the car door quickly and jump out of the car. I see Beth getting out of her car. I run over to her and hug her.

"It's nice to see you to," Beth says.

"I didn't think I get to see you again," I tell her.

Beth raises an eyebrow. "Why?"

"I let Alex drive."

OW! Beth just hit me really hard on the arm. I think I'm going to have a bruise on my arm tomorrow.

"What have I told you about letting Alex drive?" Beth seems a tad bit angry.

"Ya know my driving really isn't that bad," Alex says behind me.

Beth looks around me at Alex and points a finger at her. "Next time you think about endangering my girlfriend's life, don't," she says sternly.

"Fine!" Alex throws her hands up in the air. "Then you can drive her home tonight. I'm going inside."

Alex walks angrily to the front door of Paige's condo and rings the bell. Beth and I look at each other.

"I'm thinking after this maybe a drive to the park and THEN a drive home?" I ask suggestively while wiggling my eyebrows.

Beth sighs. "Sometimes I feel like I'm dating a guy," she mutters. "Why does it seem like all you think about is sex?" she asks me.

I smile and put my arms around her. "Because I have a very sexy girlfriend," I answer.

Beth pats me on the shoulder. "Just because you throw a compliment in there doesn't make your chances of getting into my pants any higher."

"Eh, we'll see." I wink and she just rolls her eyes.

I help Beth get the wine out of her car and we walk to the front door of the building. We reach the front door and it opens.

"Hey!" Paige greets us excitedly. "Come on in." Paige moves to the side to let us in.

I'm looking around and I shouldn't be surprised that it's really nice in here. I'm pretty sure she emptied out the IKEA store to furnish this place. Ellie and Marco are already here because I can hear them talking. We all take off our shoes.

"Paige, where do you want me to put the wine?" Beth asks.

"Go ahead and put it on the coffee table in the living room hon," Paige tells her.

Beth walks into the living room to put up the wine while Paige turns her attention to Alex and me.

"So would you two like the grand tour?" Paige asks us.

I can tell Paige really wants to show us her place. Also it does seem nice so a tour wouldn't hurt.

"I'd love a tour," I tell her. "I want to see how much IKEA you actually bought."

"I'm ok," Alex says. "I'm just going to go hang out with the others."

Alex walks to the living room where the others are. Paige looks at me and I just shrug my shoulders. I throw my arm around her shoulders.

"How about the grand tour I was just offered?" I ask.

Paige smiles at me. "Right this way," she says while pointing up the stairs.

I follow Paige up the stairs. She shows me her bedroom which looks like it came right out of the IKEA catalog. I notice that there's only one picture of her and Griffin and there's hundreds of pictures of the rest of us. I notice she has a picture of Alex in a fighting pose but smiling. She also has the same photo of her, Alex, Beth, and me at the amusement park we went to during spring break senior year. I pick up the picture and smile.

"That was a fun trip," Paige says.

I place the picture down and turn around to look at her. "Yeah, it was."

We leave Paige's room as she shows me the rest of the upstairs. The bathroom is covered in pink, which doesn't surprise me but sort of makes me want to puke. After the bathroom she takes me to the study. Now this room is nice. There's a desk for her laptop, a bookcase, a grandfather clock in the corner, and she even has one of those sketch desks. I walk over to the sketch desk and pick up some of her sketches. Wow, these really good.

"Paige, these designs are amazing," I tell her in awe.

"You really think so hon?"

I turn to look at her. "I know I don't know that much about fashion but these are really good. Have you showed them to Andrea?"

Paige scoffs. "Yeah right," she says. "The only thing Andrea wants me to show her is a latte."

"One day Paige Michalchuk, that woman will be working for you," I tell her seriously.

Paige smiles at me. "I'm glad you have so much confidence in me."

"The important thing is to have confidence is for you to have confidence in yourself. Now let's get back downstairs before all the wine is gone."

Paige and I walk downstairs. I walk into the living room while Paige walks to the kitchen to get the wine glasses. I sit down on the couch closely to Beth. I wrap my arm around her and kiss her on the cheek.

"Did she show you the study?" Beth asks.

"Yes and I found it to be very classy and nice," I tell her.

Paige walks into the room with the wine glasses in her hands. She sets the glasses down on the coffee table along with some coasters.

"Yay, wine time," I say excitedly. "I feel so adult."

"I don't know why," Alex says. "You're just drinking apple wine."

"Hey! Wine is wine!"

Beth is just shaking her head at us. She starts pulling the wine out of the bags. There's red wine, white wine, apple wine, and sparkling apple cider.

"Who is the cider for?" Ellie asks.

I grab the cider and put it down on Ellie's side of the table.

"You," I tell her simply.

"Wait, why do I have to drink the cider?"

We're all looking at Ellie. No one really wants to say what we're all thinking. As usual I have to be the way to say what everyone else is too afraid to say.

"Ellie your family doesn't really have a good track record with alcohol," I tell her. "Also we all heard what happen at the Caitlin Ryan thing. We've all sort of agreed that alcohol is not your friend homie."

"Oh come on!" Ellie whines.

I'm shaking my head no. "Nu-uh, you don't get any wine missy."

"Just let me have some of your apple Jordan."

I point a finger at her. "Apple wine is still wine. Now drink your cider and stop being a pain."

I open my wine and start pouring some of it in the glass while everyone is doing the same. Paige and Marco are more of the white while Alex and Beth are more about the red. Ellie is pouring her apple cider while muttering angrily. We're doing this for her own good.

"So has anyone been to Degrassi to visit since we graduated?" I ask.

"Psh, after doing my extra semester there I vowed never to go back," Alex says.

"I was going to go visit but then the whole Lakehurst – Degrassi merger thing happened and I wanted to stay clear of that chaos," Marco says.

We're all nodding our heads, agreeing with. All of us heard about how Lakehurst burned down and that they had to send a majority of their students to Degrassi.

"I don't know whose idea was that," Paige says. "I mean after JT was killed I don't know why anyone would merge those two schools together."

"You can't blame the whole school for something one kid did," Alex says.

"No offense but I've seen some of those other kids from that school hon and they all look dangerous to me. I mean Heather Sinclair's sister went there."

I slightly choke on the wine I was drinking. "Heather Sinclair has a sister?" I ask.

"Yeah, Holly J.," Beth says.

I turn and look at Beth. I've been trying to forget that at one point she dated Heather Sinclair.

"That girl is an evil spawn, just like her sister," Paige says and take a sip of her wine.

"Holly J. is actually worse than Heather," Beth says.

"See! See! I'm glad this whole merging nonsense happened AFTER we left."

"I don't think I would have been able to handle it," I tell them. "I mean Lakehurst is so different from Degrassi, from what I've heard. I mean I heard all they've been doing is causing trouble at that school. Liberty Van Zandt even told me that one of those Lakehurst kids said that JT deserved to be killed. Plus how exactly did Lakehurst burn down? Did anyone think about that?"

"I can't believe you're judging these kids and you don't even know them!" Alex exclaims.

"Lexi, one of them killed JT, our friend," Paige says.

"One kid did that, one kid, not the whole damn school. Ya know I use to live in the same neighborhood with those kids, not all of them are bad."

"Yeah, but you never killed anyone," Paige says.

Alex and I look at each other. Her face is unreadable but I can tell that her jaw is clenched. There's an eerie silence in the room now. No one knows about Alex's involvement in the whole Rick prank thing except for me.

"I think what Alex is trying to say is that if we all judge a group of people by the actions one person did then no one would ever get to know each other and the world would just be in chaos from judging everyone," Beth says.

I kiss Beth on the forehead. Sometimes while the rest of us are being crazy Beth is the one to bring us all back from Crazyville.

"Let's change the topic," I say quickly.

"Yeah," Ellie agrees. "Alex, how's Sage doing?"

I look at Ellie with my 'Are you serious?' look. I look over at Paige and her body seems to have tensed up a bit. I can see that Marco has noticed as well. Although Marco wasn't at the mini-golf game I know Paige probably told him everything that happened.

"She's good," Alex says, answering Ellie's question. "We're both really excited about this upcoming school year. I know she was here two weeks ago but it's hard to be in a relationship with someone who's so far away."

"Yeah but you two seem to be doing is successfully."

Alex is nodding her head. "Well I really like her so I'm going to try to make this work."

"Paige, how's Griffin?" Beth asks Paige quickly.

Is tonight 'Let's ask questions that cause tension and awkwardness' night? I look over at Alex and her jaw is clenched. Hmm…

"Um he's good," Paige says. "I mean he's been busy and I've been busy so yeah…"

Alright, that wasn't weird at all. It seems like Paige doesn't really want to talk about Griffin all that much.

"Marco, how's Eric?" I ask. I mean since we're just talking about relationships anyway.

"He's great," Marco answers. "I'm still getting use to his love of jazz but he's really great."

"Oo, could he be the one?"

Marco laughs. "I'm not sure about that. We've haven't been dating THAT long. What about you two?" Marco points to Beth and me. "You two look all lovey dovey over there. When are you two going to tie the knot?"

"We didn't tell you?" Beth asks. "We're getting married next week in Vegas."

"Oh yeah," I say playing along. "Elvis and Dolly Parton are going to be there."

"Oo I love Dolly," Marco says excitedly.

I give him a strange look. "You are one weird little man," I tell him seriously. "For real though, we're doing great." I look at Beth and she smiles at me. "Going strong and I think we're going to keep going strong." Beth kisses me.

"Ew," I hear Ellie say. "It's bad enough I'm the only one not in a relationship, I shouldn't have to watch you two making out."

I pull away from Beth and look at Ellie. "El, what I'm about to say I'm saying because I love you," I tell her. "Stop dating douche bags and you can be happy one day."

"I don't date douche bags," she says defending herself.

"The first time I met Jesse my douche bag alert went off. I even told Alex that."

Alex is nodding her head. "Jordan did tell me that," she says.

I point to Alex. "See," I tell Ellie. "You need to find a nice guy who will appreciate you and who's not a douche bag."

"You make it sound easier than it is," Ellie says.

"El's right," Marco says. "It's hard finding the perfect person out there and just when you think you do he goes off to Switzerland to play hockey."

All of us are looking at Marco now. Obviously part of Marco is still hung up on Dylan. I'm thinking although Marco is with Eric he'll never truly be happy unless he gets completely over Dylan over he's with him. I grab a bottle of my apple wine and pour more into my glass.

"All I'm saying is that there's someone out there for everyone," I tell them. "Sometimes it just takes time for those two people to find each other and sometimes it takes time for a person to realize the one they were looking for the whole time was right there in front of them."

I notice Alex and Paige look quickly at each other and then back down at their glasses of wine. Now I can't say with 100% confidence if these two are meant for each other but I can say that whatever they had with each other definitely isn't gone.


	27. Goodbye, Hello

**A/N: So the title of this chapter is from the song "Hello, Goodbye" but it's reversed and you'll see why later. You kids are lucky cuz I started typing this chapter and I just couldn't stop which is why I updated so quickly this time around. So enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi or its characters. But two nights ago I found out I now have a roommate for my new dorm. So I guess I own a new roommate. damn...  
**

One of the hardest things someone has to do in their life is say hello and goodbye. The hello can be hard because you can either be saying hello to a person you've never met or someone you haven't seen in such a long time that you might not even be sure it's the same person. Goodbye can mean the end of something. It can be the ending of a friendship, a relationship, or the ending of a chapter in your life as you begin another. Today and tomorrow are days of goodbyes and hellos.

Beth is the first one of us to leave because it takes her longer to get her stuff set up in Miami. Once again we're all at the airport like we have been so many times this past year. Beth's family, my family, Ellie, Marco, and Paige are all here. Beth is hugging her family and as usual her mother is crying. I think no matter how many times she leaves her mom is always going to cry. I hear Beth telling her brother to make sure to take care of their parents while she's gone. After she says goodbye to her parents she moves on to the friends. Of course Marco is telling her that he'll be down there to visit to get the latest fashion trends, Paige tells Beth that she should hook her up with a Forever 21 discount, and Ellie just hugs her says to stay safe. Now it's my family's turn. Beth hugs Alex first telling her to make sure to visit more than once this time around. Both my parents hug her telling her if she needs anything then to just call them and they'll call some people they know that live in Miami. Beth kisses Matisse on the cheek and tells him to be a good baby. Now it's my turn.

Beth approaches me with a smile on her face and love in her eyes.

"Ya know this time last year I believe we were both crying," she says.

"Yeah I think it was that time of the month for me, so I was a little emotional," I tell her.

Beth playfully pushes me. "Jerk," she says.

I grab Beth by her waist and bring her close to me. I push a strand of hair that was in her face behind her ear. I kiss Beth and she's kissing me back, a kiss so full of love that even Cupid would be jealous. I pull away first because I know that if we didn't stop soon she'd miss her flight.

"I love you," I tell her sincerely.

"I love you too," she says with a smile on her face.

"We're going to make it this year right?" I ask slightly afraid of a repeat of last year.

Beth kisses me, calming down my nerves. "I never want to go through what we went through last year ever again. You're the one for me Jordan Johnson and I know I'm the one for you."

I smile. "Yes you are which is why I got you this."

I pull a ring box out of my pocket and open it. I take the gold Claddagh ring out of the box. Beth looks so surprised but I hope it's a good happy surprise.

"I got this about a month ago," I tell her. "I know that this is a traditional Irish wedding ring but I'm hoping that you'll wear it as a promise ring." I slid the ring on Beth's right hand ring finger with the heart turned inwards. "I promise that one day, Bethany Perez, I'm going to propose to you and hopefully when that day comes you'll say 'yes'."

Beth's eyes are shining which means I know she's on the verge of tears. Beth slides the ring off her finger. Oh no… Wait, she's sliding the ring on her left ring finger with the heart facing outwards. She's smiling at me and I'm smiling back.

"The day you officially ask me to marry you I will say 'yes'," she says. "That's my promise to you."

I kiss Beth one final time. I see a tear falling down her face and I wipe it away with my thumb.

"I told you I'll always be here to wipe away your tears," I tell her sincerely.

"I love you."

"I love you too. I'll see you soon."

Beth gathers her bags and walks to security. She turns around and waves to all of us. We're all waving back. I walk over to the rest of the gang.

"So what was that?" Marco asks. Gay men are so nosey.

"I gave her a promise," I tell them.

"What was the promise hon?" Paige asks.

I turn to look at all of them. "I promised her that one day I'm going to ask her to marry me and she promised me that when I do she's going to say 'yes'."

"So you two are pretty much engaged?" Marco asks.

I shake my head. "No we're not engaged, we're just…promised." I smile.

**Later That Day:  
**I find walking by myself soothing sometimes. I can get my thoughts together and just think without anyone interrupting me. I like to walk through the park that's near my house. It's a nice pretty park. Children play here, people make friends here, some people even fall in love here, and some people find themselves here. A park is full of wonder, magic, and beauty. I find my favorite hill and sit on it.

There's nothing like a Florida sunset and that goes the same for Canada. Canada has this different feel than the U.S. will ever have. I feel calmer here although my life has been full of drama, suspense, tension, and excitement since I've moved here but still, Canada just has this sense of peace within its nation that the U.S. doesn't. I take a deep breath of Canadian air and breathe it back out.

Someone's standing behind me right now. I don't need to turn around nor do I need to look when said person sits down beside me. I already know it's Alex.

"Do you always come here at the end of the summer when you're aboot to leave?" she asks.

"Usually," I tell her. "I like to see one last Canadian sunset before I leave to go back to the states."

"Are you excited to go back?"

"It's a bittersweet moment," I tell her honestly. "I'm ready to get back to school and continue my education. I'm ready for the Florida sun and I'm ready to see some of my friends. I'm sad though because once again I'm hundreds of miles away from the girl I love. I'm sad that I'm not going to see our little brother grow up little by little every day. But I'm ready to go back." I turn and look at Alex. "Are you ready?"

Alex is nodding her head. "I feel like I'm finally starting a new chapter in my life, the chapter that the rest of you started last year. I'm ready to finally be near my girlfriend and to see her every day."

I place a hand on Alex's shoulder. "If this is a new chapter for you then you have to end the previous chapter. You have to say goodbye to it."

Alex raises an eyebrow. "Alright, now you've lost me with this whole metaphorical stuff."

"You said you're ready to start a new chapter in your life then you have to finish the old one. You have to do something you didn't do the first time you left Canada. You have to end the previous chapter."

Alex still seems confused. I sigh; I always have to explain everything to her.

"You have to say goodbye to Paige," I tell her simply.

"I'll say goodbye to her at the airport along with the others," Alex says.

I'm shaking my head, disagreeing with her. "But Paige isn't like the others. You didn't get a chance to say goodbye to her the first time around. There still all these things that you two need to say to each other. You need to say goodbye to the previous chapter Alex."

I stand up and I'm holding out my hand for Alex to take. Alex takes my hand and I help her up. We're walking down the hill as we're approaching the playground part of the park. I see Paige sitting on a bench.

"Jordan, is that Paige?" Alex asks surprised.

I look at Alex and nod my head. "I invited her here so you two can have the goodbye you should have had," I tell her.

Alex is just looking at me, not sure what to say. I turn back and see that Paige has noticed us. Paige stands up from the bench.

"I'll be at the swings," I tell Alex. "Go talk to her."

I'm walking to the swings as Alex walks over to Paige. I'm close enough that I can see but I can't hear. At least they're talking and since I'm not hearing anything I'm going to say there's no yelling going on which means that everything must be going well.

I look up at the sky and see some stars starting to appear and shine. People wish upon stars, I was never a fan of wishing upon a star because you'd never know if someone was wishing on the same star. I was always more of a fountain girl myself. Any time I would pass a fountain I'd always toss a penny in and make a wish. Right now I can't recall most of the wishes I made but I do remember wishing countless of times to be happy. I feel like that wish has been granted and now all I wish for is for my friends and family to be happy. If starting a new chapter in her life is what Alex needs to do to be happy then I will help her every since step of the way but not before she ends the old chapter.

I notice Alex and Paige both stand up. Their talking must be done now. Aw, they're hugging. They pull apart and now Paige is walking away, probably to her car so she can go home. I'm walking toward Alex.

"So?" I ask.

Alex wipes something from her face. I'm going to assume it was a tear. She looks at me.

"I'm ready to start writing a new chapter," she tells me.

I nod my head. "Well alrighty then."

**Next Day:  
**I wonder how many times an average teenager has been in an airport. I feel like not only have I been in too many airports too many times but I also feel like all this flying is doing some hidden damage to my body. I probably sound like a crazy paranoid person right now, I probably sound like Alex.

It's time for Alex and me to leave once again for school. Everyone is here, our parents, Matisse (not like he had a choice), Ellie, Marco, Paige, and even Jay. It's weird because I don't think I've seen Jay since January. I mean I heard he hooked up with Manny Santos at some point, was even engaged to her with I thought was super weird and then they broke up which made actual sense to me but I haven't seen much of him. We're right outside of security and it's almost time for us to go which means we have to say goodbye.

The worst part of saying goodbye is my mother. I love this woman, I do, but something is seriously wrong with her. You'd think this is the first time Alex and I are leaving home. I don't understand how this woman can cry every time we leave, especially over me.

"Mom, please stop crying," I plead.

"My babies are leaving," she cries.

"Dad is holding your baby right beside you!"

Alex is shaking her head at me. "You know it's no hope Jordan. She's not going to stop crying until tomorrow."

Alex and I both hug her and tell her we're going to be ok. Brian hands Matisse to Mom hoping that'll calm her down some. Brian and I hug first and then he hugs Alex.

"No UFC fighting this time ladies," he warns us.

"Yes sir," Alex and I say together.

I take Matisse from Mom. "Ok buddy, it's your job to watch over the 'rents while we're gone," I tell him. "Can you handle that?"

Matisse is just looking at me with drool coming out his mouth. Well at two months that's all I can really expect. I kiss his chubby baby cheek and then hand him over to Alex.

"Bye bye buddy," Alex says in her weird baby voice. She tickles Matisse's stomach. "You be a good baby," she tells him while he giggles. Alex hands Matisse back to Brian.

Now it's time to say 'goodbye' to the homies. I go down the row hugging Marco and Ellie first. Ew, I just hugged Jay. I might need a bath now. I reach Paige last.

"As always Paige I think I'm going to miss you the most," I tell her.

Paige places a hand over her heart. "Hon, I'm flattered," she says.

I roll my eyes and pull her into a hug. "Stay strong," I tell her.

"Don't worry I will." We pull apart. "I might even be coming to the states soon."

I raise an eyebrow. "Really?"

She's nodding her head. "I'm thinking about maybe trying my hand at Hollywood."

"Wow Paige I'm impressed. Well like I said before, sometimes you have to jump to fly."

We hug one last time. I go over to my bags and pick them off the floor. I turn and see Alex and Paige hugging. I think no matter what Paige will be in future chapters of Alex's life. Alex says her last goodbye to everyone and walks over to me.

"Are you ready?" she asks.

I look back at everyone. "Goodbye Canada," I whisper.

**LATER:  
**Ugh flying hurts. It hurts your legs, it hurts your arms, and most of all it hurts your ass. Flying just hurts and it's a pain in the ass.

"Why don't we ever fly first class?" Alex asks as we're getting off the plane. "I mean first class looks really nice and it's not like our parents don't have the money for it."

"Alex let me tell you how this rich family works. Yes we have the money for many things but the Johnsons don't really like to flaunt their money. Like the car I have is a used car and I had to pay for half of it."

"You had to pay half for your used car?"

"Yep. The only reason you got a new car was because it was your birthday and your "yay for getting into FSU" present. Mom and Dad didn't want me to be spoiled so they taught me that just because they're rich doesn't mean I'm rich."

"All I'm saying is that first class would be nice every now and then."

"Ok then you talk to Mom and Dad about that when we call them."

We're walking toward the baggage claim to grab the rest of our other two suitcases. Good thing we left some clothes at the grandparents' house or we'd be carrying a lot of luggage.

"Lexi!" I hear a person call out.

Alex and I both turn our heads in the direction we heard the voice coming from. Of course the voice belongs to Sage. A grin appears on Alex's face. Alex walks quickly to Sage and now they're hugging. Ew, now they're kissing. I guess Sage will also be in future chapters of Alex's life.

I sigh. "Hello Florida."

* * *

**A/N: just so y'all know from this point on we're going to be doing some MAJOR time jumps. mhm =)**


	28. Welcome To Hollywood

**A/N: So according to Microsoft Word this chapter is 18 pages and 9,175 words long. So you'll see why this one took me awhile to update. So y'all know how anal I am about timelines and stuff. I always make sure I reference the right movies and songs in my chapters to go with the year the gang is suppose to be in. So b/c Degrassi split the school year up in season 6 and 7 technically when they did Degrassi Goes To Hollywood in Degrassi world it was December 2007 but then that doesn't make sense because Cassadee Pope from Hey Monday was introduced as the lead singer of Hey Monday in the film but technically Hey Monday wasn't even formed yet. So for once I'm gonna ask y'all not to think too hard about the timeline for this chapter or the next one. Thanks! Also instead of saying 'Next Day' like I usually do I just put a page break line to indicate a new there's NO script for Degrassi Goes to Hollywood, so not only did I have to watch this film five times to get the timeline of the week right I also had to watch it 15 more times to get down all the lines with scenes featuring Paige and I had to make sure I wrote down the right emotions. I'm so sick and tired of watching this damn movie. Anyway ENJOY part 1! =)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi or its characters. Also some of the dialouge in this chapter is from the movie and not my own =)**

* * *

Sophomore year of college so far has been totally different from freshmen year of college. Number one, Beth and I are still happily together. We spent American Thanksgiving together here in Tallahassee with Alex and my grandparents. Number two, Tammy is no longer bothering me. I mean I see her every now and then on campus but I'm pretty sure she's still super pissed about last year. Number three, this year I'm rooming with Alex which has caused some problems because Alex is very messy and she doesn't know how to lock a door or warn someone. Let's just say I've had the very unhappy chances of walking in on Alex and Sage. I've told Alex to put a sock or tie on the door but she doesn't listen, so I've been scarred for life numerous times.

It's finals week here at FSU which means the past few days have consisted of studying, taking exams, and Alex having some very angry moments. The other day she almost threw her math textbook out the window. I'm currently at my desk studying for my chemistry exam that I have tomorrow and Alex is on top of her bed studying for her history exam

"Ugh, I hate History!" Alex yells. Alex throws the history textbook off her bed.

I turn around and look at her. "I'm gonna need you to calm down homie."

Alex falls backwards on her bed. "I just want this to be over with; I'm in a desperate need for a break."

"You do realize our break will consist of snow, coldness, and a crying baby right?"

"Oh yeah, I forgot aboot that." Alex grabs her pillow and places it over her face. "AHHH!" she screams into the pillow.

Yeah I'm gonna need Alex to take a break before she goes completely insane.

_Lifestyles of the rich and the famous they're always complainin, always complainin_

What the hell? That ringtone is only for one person and that person rarely calls. Alex quickly takes the pillow off her face and sits up. She knows whose ringtone that is as well.

"Hello?" I answer the phone.

"JJ how's it going?" Kevin Smith asks me.

I wide grin instantly appears on my face. Alex is giving me a confused and hopeful look. I put my phone on speaker.

"Kevin, dude I have to say this is quite a surprise! What's up man?"

"Oh nothing, just eating 1,000 twinkies."

"As you should be, of course. Oh by the way Alex is here."

"Hello my favorite raven haired beauty from the wrong side of tracks."

Alex rolls her eyes and laughs. "Hey Kevin."

"So what do I owe for this spontaneous surprise call from my favorite writer and director?" I ask.

"Well Jason Mewes, my home dawg as you know, is directing his first feature length film and he held an open casting call at Degrassi and I was surprised when he told me that you didn't stop by to say hi," Kevin tells us.

"Kev I'm in college now. Alex and I are in Florida at FSU."

Kevin whistles. "Florida, wow. Well what do you two have planned for your winter break?"

"Suffering in the dark and vast coldness that is known as Canada," Alex answers.

"I feel ya on that. I'm currently stuck in Winnipeg which is I why I was wondering how you two would feel about flying out to L.A. and helping my friend out? I mean JJ; he could really use your help and expertise and Alex I bet you're good at something."

Alex scoffs. "Well thanks Kevin" she says sarcastically.

I'm looking at Alex and my eyebrow is raised. "Well?" I ask.

Alex shrugs her shoulders. "Well it beats freezing our butts off this break," she says.

"Ok Kev we're in but we can only stay for about a week. Our mom just had a baby and she would be pissed if we missed his first Christmas."

"No problem kid. I'll send your tickets to you ASAP."

"Hey Kev, can you actually send us three tickets so my girlfriend can come along?"

"I don't know JJ, you're kinda killing me with three tickets here. I gotta hear the magic word."

I nudge Alex and she rolls her eyes. "Ugh, fine," she says. "Aboot!"

Kevin laughs. "Three tickets coming your way. Thanks JJ."

"No problem Kevin, talk to you later."

I close my phone. Alex and I look at each other and now we're screaming in excitement.

"We're going to Hollywood!" I yell. Hell yeah!

**HOLLYWOOD!:  
**Los Angeles is the city where dreams are made of and sometimes come true. People come out here to start their career and hopefully one day become famous. I've only been to L.A. once in my life and that's when I was 14 and the 'rents and I were here for a family vacation. I have to say I'm pretty excited to be here with Alex and Beth now. I had to do some begging with Beth's parents for them to allow their daughter to come out here but I promised that she'd be back home by the 23rd so she wouldn't miss Christmas cause God knows her parents and my parents would kill me if any of us miss Christmas.

"Whoa," Alex says in awe.

We just got off the plane and we're currently in LAX, the sixth busiest airport in the world and probably the most famous one in America. I'm expecting to see a celebrity any moment now.

"This place is HUGE," Beth says. "Oh my God, is that Johnny Depp over there?"

I turn my head in the direction Beth is pointing to. I start laughing. Wow, this girl was way off.

"Babe that is not Johnny Depp," I tell her.

Beth's face falls. "Oh," she says disappointed.

"Don't worry; we're going to be in L.A. for a week. You'll see someone famous."

We're walking down to baggage claim to get our luggage. Once we get our bags we're going down the escalator where our driver is suppose to meet us. Kevin said that there should be a limo driver waiting for us to take us to our hotel to put our stuff up and relax.

"Ok, we're looking for a guy holding a sign with our names on it," I tell Alex and Beth.

We're all frantically looking, excited to get in a limo and explore L.A.

"There he is!" Beth yells while pointing.

I see a young looking limo driver holding up a sign that says _JJ and raven haired beauty from the wrong side of tracks_. Alex and I look at each other and laugh, Beth just seems confused. We approach the limo driver.

"I'm JJ," I tell him. I point at Alex. "And this is the raven haired beauty from the wrong side of the tracks."

The limo driver smiles at us. Ya know if I was straight I'd probably try to flirt with this guy, that's how good looking he is.

"Hi," the limo driver greets us. "My name is Paul and I'll be helping you ladies get around the city this week."

"Nice to meet you Paul," I shake the limo driver's hand. "My name is Jordan and I actually go by Jordan but if you want to call me JJ then go ahead. This is Alex and Beth."

Alex and Beth both wave at Paul.

"Well ladies, is this all your luggage?" Paul asks us.

"Yep," I answer. "This is it."

Paul grabs our suitcases and we follow him to the limo. After Paul puts the luggage in the trunk he opens the limo door for us. Oh my God, I feel so important.

"Thanks Paul," I say.

He smiles and nods his head. Alex and Beth get in and thank Paul for holding the car door open for them. Whoa! Now I've never been in a limo before so this is just taking my breath away. Paul pulls out of the airport and we're on our way.

Alex pretty much has her face against the window. "Whoa!" she exclaims. "We're going down Hollywood Blvd!"

I press the button that opens the sun roof. I poke my head out of the limo like I've always dreamed of doing.

"What's up Hollywood?" I yell.

"Jordan, move over!" I hear Alex say below me.

I make room for Alex and Beth to come up through the sun roof to look at the beautiful place known as Hollywood. We just drove past the Grauman's Chinese Theater, which we're definitely going to visit later.

"Look!" Beth yells excitedly pointing forward. "There's the Hollywood sign!"

Alex starts taking pictures with her camera. I just put my sunglasses on, trying to look cool.

After traveling Hollywood Blvd. we finally arrive at our hotel. Since Kevin's paying for everything I told him we didn't need a fancy hotel. I just asked for a hotel with complimentary breakfast and told him we would need two rooms. Kevin gave us the Residence Inn in Beverly Hills. I have to remind myself to see this dude more than a Christmas card this year. Paul opens the car door for us and Alex, Beth, and I get out. Beth is staring at the hotel in awe.

"I see nice hotels in Miami all the time but I've never stayed in one," she says. Beth looks at me and raises an eyebrow. "How good of friends are you and Kevin?"

"I'm his number one fan, president of his Canadian fan club and vice president of the Florida chapter of his American fan club. Plus I babysat his daughter a couple of nights when he was filming in Toronto."

"Wow, you are one devoted fan."

"You bet I am."

Paul helps us carry our bags to our room. Damn this is a really nice room.

"We've got to get Kevin something better than a Christmas card this year," Alex says.

"Yeah, that's what I was thinking," I tell her.

_Lifestyles of the rich and the famous they're always complainin, always complainin._

Speaking of Kevin, I answer my phone. "Kevin, dude!"

"Hey JJ!" he greets me. "I'm glad you're safe and not somewhere in the sky falling to your doom."

"Sorry I didn't call you earlier, it's just we were amazed by the sights of Hollywood and this room. Kevin I can't thank you enough."

"It's no problem. You can take this as your payment for helping Jason. By the way I actually talk to him about ten minutes ago and he needs you at the studio ASAP."

"Sure no problem. Will I need some sort of badge or something to get on the lot?

"Your name should be on the list when you get there and then they'll give you a studio pass."

"Alright sounds good. Once again thanks man, for everything."

"No problem. Now get out there and help make a movie!"

I close my phone. I look at Alex and Beth. "Hey I have to go to work," I tell them.

A look of confusion appears on Beth's face. "Work?" she asks. "I thought this was a vacation."

I walk over to Beth and place my arms around her waist. "Babe, the agreement to Kevin paying for everything was me helping Jason with his new movie. I'm sort of like Jason's assistant and when he needs me I have to be there, which just happens to be now."

A sad look appears on Beth's face. "I thought we'd get to spend this vacation together."

"And we will. Listen last time I checked Jason is still casting people so he probably just needs help with that. I shouldn't be gone long. Hey, while I'm gone why don't you and Alex go to the pool or tour the city. Maybe you'll be able to find Mr. Johnny Depp."

"Ok, have fun at work I guess." Beth kisses me.

I turn around and look at Alex. I'm holding out my hand.

Alex raises an eyebrow. "What?"

"Give me your phone," I tell her.

"Why?"

"Because knowing you you're going to be spending this whole time texting and talking to Sage so, give me your phone."

Alex groans but she's getting her phone out of her pocket. Alex slams the phone down into my hand. Ouch, that actually kind of hurt.

"Unfair," she says.

"Hey I brought you to Hollywood," I remind her. "Now you two have a good time and I'll be back before you know it."

I leave the room with Paul following behind me.

"You know how to get to the studio, right Paul?" I ask him.

Paul chuckles. "Jordan, I know how to get everywhere in the Los Angeles County."

I'm nodding my head. "Good to know."

**Studio Lot:  
**The only time I've ever been on a studio lot before is when Brian, Mom, and I took a tour of Universal Studios, even then I thought some of that stuff was faked and they were keeping the real studio action hidden from us. It's so surreal to be on this lot with my own studio pass. I'm currently walking to Jason's office. I feel so important and stuff right now. I'm currently grinning like an idiot as I'm walking into the building where Jason's office is.

I enter the building and walk over to the reception desk.

"Hi, how my I help you?" the receptionist asks me.

I smile. "Hi, I'm Jordan Johnson, Mr. Mewes' assistant."

The receptionist smiles back at me. "Oh, Mr. Mewes is expecting you," she tells me. "Go right on up. He's on the fourth floor, second door on your right."

"Thanks."

I get on the elevator to go to the fourth floor. I'm anxious yet excited, but if my memory is correct Jason is a pretty awesome and chill dude so I'm not too worried.

_Ding!_

I've reached my destination and I get off the elevator. Alright, the receptionist said the second door on my right. Oh, there it is. I knock on the door.

"Come in!" the voice on the other side yells.

I open the door. Damn! This is what I call an office. There's movie posters of every movie Jason has ever been in up on the walls and there's action figures covering the desk and TV stand.

"Well, if it isn't Kevin's favorite non-Canadian Canadian," Jason greets me.

"Jason Mewes, what's up man?"

Jason gets up from his desk chair gives me a hug which is slightly surprising.

"How have you been?" he asks.

"I've been pretty good. I'm going to school in Florida now but I still live in Canada."

Jason whistles. "Florida is nice, tons of hot babes."

I'm nodding my head. "Yes, yes it is. And yes, there are tons of hot babes."

"Well listen, I'm really glad you came all the way here to help me. I really do appreciate it."

"Dude no problem! You are my second favorite actor, after Kevin of course."

"Yeah, well Kevin is a genius."

"So what's up? What can I help you with today?"

"Well so far we have all the parts cast except for Trixie. I wanted to cast Manny Santos."

"Manny is really good. I know you liked her in _Jay and Silent Bob Go Canadian, Eh!_"

Jason is nodding his head. "Yeah, I really envisioned her as Trixie but she totally blew her audition back in Canada but I still want her."

I place a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Well if that's who you want then that's who we have to get."

"Knock, knock."

I turn my head and see some dude standing in the doorway with a tape in his hand. Who is this guy?

"Hey Robbie," Jason greets him.

"Jason, I see you have company," Robbie says.

"This is JJ," Jason says while pointing at me. "She's a personal friend of mine and Kevin's. She's going to be here for about a week helping out."

Robbie enters the room. Now he's holding out his hand in front of me. I guess I have to shake his hand.

"Robbie Tyler, studio producer," he says while shaking my hand.

That would explain why my douche bag alert went off when I saw him. "Jordan Johnson, Jason's personal assistant and teenage guru for the week."

Robbie laughs, sounds like one of those fake Hollywood laughs. "How much are we paying you?" he asks. "I'm just kidding."

I look at Jason and give him the 'what is wrong with this guy?' look. Jason just looks back at me and shrugs his shoulders.

"So what's up Robbie?" Jason asks. "What do you got?"

"I have your Trixie," Robbie says while waving the tape.

Robbie turns on the TV and puts the tape into the VCR. Jason leans against his desk while I stand beside him. First the screen is black but then a girl appears, dressed in a weird looking outfit with a really weird looking hair-do. Oh my God. That can't be. Is that-?

"Paige?" I whisper.

"When I saw you standing there at the quick stop you had your arm around whatsername, she was even wearing that sweater I gave you," Paige says in a REALLY bad New Jersey accent. "It just hurts so bad. I can't even be in the same room as the two of you."

"Dude I know this girl," Jason says while pausing the tape. "This is the lesbian chick that got cut from _Jay and Silent Bob Go Canadian Eh_!" Jason looks over at me. "No offense to the lesbian part."

I hold up a hand. "None taken," I tell him.

"Isn't she your friend?" he asks me.

"…Yeah," I answer in an unsure voice.

"That's great, so you already have a working relationship," Robbie says and turns back to look at the screen as if Paige's performance was Oscar worthy.

Jason is looking at Robbie like he's crazy, which he probably is.

"Dude, she's not my Trixie, alright," Jason tells Robbie. "And you already went ahead and gave her a screen test?"

"Yeah, I'm the producer and I loved her," Robbie tells Jason.

Jason has this look on his face and he's probably thinking what I'm thinking. Either Robbie is crazy or he didn't watch the same video we just watched.

"You want this project green lit or… or not?" Robbie asks.

Jason sighs and defeat and I can tell by the look on his face that he's already giving up.

"Fine," Jason says. "Tell her we start rehearsal tomorrow."

"Great!" Robbie says excitedly. "I have a very good feeling about this."

Robbie leaves the room and now Jason and I are just staring at the screen in front of us. His pausing did not flatter Paige one bit.

"Two things," I tell him while holding up two fingers. "Number one, I may not be from Jersey but I'm pretty sure that was a horrendous attempt at a Jersey accent. Number two, why is she chewing her gum like that?"

Jason is just shaking his head. "I don't know but I do know this girl is not my Trixie. What do you think?"

Jason honestly looks like he cares about my opinion. This is his first screenplay and her directing debut so I'm going to try to help him as much as I can.

"I love Paige," I tell him. "She's my friend and we've been through a lot but dude, she's not an actress."

"Robbie loves her though."

"Who pays for the movie?"

"The studio does."

I hang my head. "Damn…" This is going to be a long week.

**Back at the Hotel:  
**I enter the suite and Alex and Beth are in the living room. Alex and Beth notice me and stand up.

"So how was it?" Alex asks right away.

"Um… We forgot about something," I tell them

"What'd you forget?" Beth asks.

"No I mean WE," I point to all of us. "Forgot about something, well someone."

"Jordan what are you talking aboot?" Alex asks.

"Guys! We forgot that Paige is in L.A. and NONE of us called her!"

A look of shock and horror appears on both of their faces.

"Well maybe we won't run into her so we won't have to tell her we came to L.A. and didn't visit," Alex says and smiles nervously.

I sigh. "Paige just got the lead for Jason's new movie."

"WHAT?"

_Good morning! It's a nice beautiful morning in Los Angeles and the traffic is horrible as always._

"Turn it off," I mutter.

Beth's hand hits the alarm off. She rolls over and snuggles into me.

"Too early," she mutters.

I lift my head up and the clock reads 7 am. I groan and sit up. I run my hair through my hand. I'm tired from last night. Alex, Beth, and I decided to go out and see the Hollywood nightlife and I forgot I had to wake up bright and early to get to work because today is the first day of rehearsal. We all decided that instead of calling Paige we'd just wait since I'd see her at the studio anyway. Alex and Beth said they wanted to tag along which means they also have to get up. Good thing this suite came with two bathrooms.

"We have to get up," I tell Beth.

"I don't wanna," she mutters.

Beth sits up and starts kissing my neck. No fair, she knows that's my weakness.

"Stay in bed with me," she says. "We can stay in bed all day and enjoy each other's company."

I kiss Beth. "As much as I would love to do that we can't. Besides, Paul will be here in an hour to pick us up." I get out of the bed while Beth flops back down.

I walk through the living room over to Alex's bedroom door. I knock loudly. No response. I crack the door open. I forgot that Alex is sometimes a violent sleeper. There are pillows all over the floor and her hair is everywhere.

"Alex!" I call out her name.

I get a loud groan and grunt in response.

I grab a pillow and throw it at her. "Get up," I tell her. "We have to get ready. Paul is going to be here in an hour to take us to the studio."

Still no response. I walk over to her and begin to shake her.

"Wake up!"

Alex sits up and pushes me away. "I'm up!" she yells. "Damn."

Alex gets up and walks to her bathroom and slams the door behind her. Well at least she's up.

I walk back over to Beth and mine's room. I hear the shower running which means Beth must be taking hers. I sit down on the bed. I guess I'll wait to take mine.

"What are you doing?"

I look up and I see Beth pointing her head out the doorway of the bathroom.

"Aren't you going to join me?" she asks slyly and raises an eyebrow.

Oh what the hell, we do have an hour. I get up from the bed and take off my shirt as I walk to the bathroom.

"We do have to think about the environment," I tell her.

I love staying in a hotel with my girlfriend and no parents!

**Studio Lot:  
**The best thing about working on a movie set is the free food. I'm currently at the food table with Jason discussing random stuff. Alex and Beth are off somewhere discovering the rest of the lot.

_Bing! Bing! Bing!_

I look at Jason's laptop and it says he has an incoming video message from Kevin. I press the Accept button. Kevin appears on the screen.

"Kev!" I greet him.

"Hey JJ!" Kevin greets me back. "What's up?"

"Dude you need to talk to your home boy."

"What's up?"

"Well do you remember Paige? Blonde cheerleader you gave advice to awhile back. You also cut her out of your movie."

Kevin is nodding her head. "Of course, how could I ever forget?"

"Well looks like she'll be playing Trixie."

A look of confusion appears on Kevin's face. "What? If my memory serves me correctly acting isn't really her forte, but spelling is though. Why did she get the lead?"

"Studio likes her. But Jason over here is freaking out. You just need to talk to him."

I pull Jason over to the computer.

"What's going on over there?" Kevin asks Jason.

"That lesbian chick you cut out of _Jay and Silent Bob Go Canadian, Eh! _is playing Trixie."

I lightly hit Jason's arm. "What have we talked about?"

Jason gives me an apologetic look. "Sorry." He turns back around to talk to Kevin. "I mean, the chick you cut out of the movie a couple years back is playing Trixie."

"Why?" Kevin asks.

"Dude, Robbie, this suit, keeps saying she's adorable and whatever but sir she's not my Trixie."

"Ugh," Kevin groans. "Dude then why are you using her? I don't get it. Why would you cast her if she's not your Trixie?"

"I have no choice, he's the boss."

"Ugh, listen to you man. Just come on dude! Whose story is it right? Who wrote the screen play, a lot of misspellings but whatever, whose directing? It's you man! God, what happened to you? If I wasn't stuck here in Winnipeg I'd come down and smack the taste out of your mouth, I swear. Actually JJ smack him for me."

I give Kevin a thumbs up. "Will do Kevin," I tell him.

Kevin turns his attention back to Jason. "You're making me sick," he tells him. "I knew I should have directed this movie."

I hear someone behind us clearing her throat. Both Jason and I turn around slowly. Oh no… Paige is standing right there and I think she just heard everything.

"I just wanted to say hello," she tells Jason.

Jason continues eating his muffin awkwardly. He gives Paige an awkward smile and turns back around to the computer screen. Paige's eyes land on me.

I wave awkwardly. "Hi Paige," I greet her nervously.

"Jordan, what are you doing here?" she asks me.

"I'm here for a week to help Jason out with the movie as a favor to Kevin."

Paige looks hurt. "And you didn't even call me to tell me you were out here?"

I approach Paige and give her a hug. "I'm sorry," I tell her sincerely. "The excitement of being in L.A. and helping out on a movie took over my mind and I didn't think about anything else. But when I did remember you were out here I was going to call but it was too late at night." I'm slightly lying, but whatever.

"So you're out here by yourself?"

"Well-"

"Jordan!" I hear Beth screaming my name. "I think I just saw Michael Ray!"

I slap my hand against my forehead. Oy vey.

Paige turns around and sees Alex and Beth running toward us. They both stop in their tracks. Even from far away I can tell they're both looking surprised and slightly scared. Paige turns back around and is looking at me with angry eyes.

"They're here too?"

"Yeah," I say. "I couldn't come here without my crew."

Alex and Beth walk over to us slowly, probably scared. Paige turns around and looks at them angrily and slightly hurt. "Neither one of you thought to call me either?"

Alex puts her hands up like she's surrendering. "Jordan took my phone away," she says quickly.

"Umm…umm…" Beth is trying to come up with an excuse. "This is my first time in California and my mind was just thinking about all the Hollywood stars I would see." Now she's smiling like an idiot.

Paige groans. "I can't believe you guys!" she sort of whines. "I've been in L.A. for about three months now by myself and you guys come here and just forget about me?"

I place my hands on Paige's shoulders and turn her around to look at me. "We didn't forget," I tell her. "We were going to call you last night but it was late and I knew I'd see you on set today. So in a way we wanted to surprise you." I smile nervously.

"Surprise," both Alex and Beth sort of half shout.

"Well, where are you guys staying?" Paige asks.

"Kevin put us up in the Residence Inn in Beverly Hills," I told her.

"Oh my God, I have a mansion in Beverly Hills."

"You have a mansion?" Alex asks.

"Studio is letting me stay in it since I am the leading lady," Paige says in a smug tone. "You should stay with me, it'll be fun."

Alex and I are looking at each other, both debating whether or not it'd be a good idea. I mean the Residence Inn is nice.

"Do you guys really want to stay in a hotel for a week?" Paige asks. "I definitely have enough room, there's a nice sized kitchen, plenty of bedrooms and bathrooms, and an AMAZING pool. Oh and Marco and Ellie are coming."

"Well it would be nice to have the gang together in Hollywood," I say. "What do you two think?"

Beth shrugs her shoulders. "As long as I'm with you I don't care where we stay." Beth smiles at me.

I walk over to her and wrap an arm around her. "It's when you say stuff like that that makes my heart melt."

"Ew," Alex says. "You two need to have your own room at all times." Alex turns her attention to Paige. "Hey, if Marco and Ellie is staying with you then why the hell not, I'm in."

Paige smiles and a look of excitement and happiness is on her face. "This is going to be great!" she exclaims.

"Hey!" Jason yells. "Can we get this rehearsal on the road please?"

**Later:  
**Alex, Beth, Paige, and I are currently on our way to LAX to pick up Ellie and Marco. We're in Paige's limo. Well the studio's limo, I'm just saying Paige's because we're currently not in the limo Kevin set me up with.

"Isn't this cool?" Paige asks. "Being in a limo makes me feel important."

"Didn't you have a limo for prom in grade ten?" Alex asks.

Paige holds up a hand. "We will not discuss grade ten prom," she says quickly.

"What happened in grade ten?" I ask Beth is a low voice.

"Jimmy, Hazel, Spinner, and Paige all arrived in a cop car," Beth whispers.

"Wow, I wouldn't want to talk about it either I guess."

We arrive at the airport and Paige leads the way to where we're suppose to meet up with Marco and Ellie. Paige and Alex are walking in front while Beth and I are sort of hanging back. It feels really good to have Beth by my side. Going to different schools is pretty hard for us but we're hanging in there.

"So I'm thinking maybe later we can check out the pool," I tell Beth.

"If you're lucky," Beth says and winks at me.

I'm laughing and shaking my head. This girl is such a tease, but I love her. I see Marco and Ellie which means I know Paige probably just saw them too.

"Marco! Eleanor!" Paige raises her arms in the air.

Marco and Ellie both get up quickly and hug Paige as they greet her.

"Sorry I'm late," Paige apologizes and takes off her sunglasses. "Lunch at the Holly with my producer. But look at who I found."

Marco and Ellie notice the rest of us and Marco screams like a girl in excitement.

"Wow Marco, you sounded more like a girl than Ellie," Alex says.

"Ha ha Alex," Marco says sarcastically.

One by one Marco hugs each of us and then Ellie hugs us.

"What are you guys doing here?" Ellie asks.

"Well Kevin asked me to help Jason with the movie so he flew us out here and ta-da!" I answer.

Marco is nodding his head. "Of course," he says.

"Well a limo awaits to show us the town," Paige says.

**Later:  
**We toured Hollywood, going to all the historical sites and taking pictures. Marco, Ellie, and Paige stuck their heads out of the sunroof like Alex, Beth, and I had done earlier. While at the Grauman's Chinese Theater Marco thought he saw Ashton Kutcher but it had been some lady with a trucker hat on. I told him Ashton probably had broader shoulders. Then Vivica A. Fox and Kelly Carlson walked up to us and said Ashton definitely had broader shoulders and stopped wearing a trucker hat a while ago but they liked Marco's hat. That was pretty much the highlight of our day for Marco and me. Now we're all back at "Paige's" mansion chillin'.

Paige wasn't lying when she said this place was huge. Everyone has their own room, with the exception of Beth and me since we love to share, and each bedroom also has its own bathroom. The kitchen is super nice which is good since I actually know how to cook so we won't have to go out every time we want a meal. There's also this awesome balcony overlooking the pool. Overall I'll say I'm pretty glad we decided to say with Paige instead of staying at the hotel. Plus we're saving Kevin some money by staying here.

Currently Beth and I are at the pool while everyone else is inside. Beth is already in the water while I'm standing on the edge.

"Just jump in Jordan," Beth says.

"I'm gonna mess up my hair," I kind of whine.

"But it'll be worth it."

I close my eyes and jump. WHEW! Water is kind of cold, kind of cold.

"This is surreal," Beth says. "I mean, I know it's warm in Miami right now but I've never actually got into a pool in December. There's probably a blizzard going on right now back in TO."

"Probably," I say through my chattering teeth.

Beth raises an eyebrow. "Are you cold?" she asks.

"My body is just trying to get use to the water," I tell her.

Beth is swimming over to me. "I can help you warm up."

"You're in a very good mood today," I point out.

"Must be the L.A. air," she says and smiles.

Beth places her arms around my neck and we start kissing. If this is what L.A. air does to her then I think we should stay in L.A. forever. I pull her hips closer to me and start kissing her neck.

"Jordan," she moans. "Can we really do this in the pool?"

"I don't see anyone stopping us."

"You're so lucky I find you irresistibly hot right now."

I just smile my charming smile. Beth shakes her head and laughs. We start kissing again. Looks like someone's getting lucky tonight, and in a pool too! Man I love L.A.!

It's another day but I'm super happy today. I think this L.A. vacation is just what the doctor ordered for Beth and me. After the pool there was a very nice hot shower. I gotta say I'm gonna be sad when it's time to leave.

I'm currently on set helping Jason out. Marco is here as well, giving Paige his support. Alex, Beth, and Ellie are off doing something somewhere in L.A. They're probably music shopping. Here on the set we're trying to get through the same scene over and over but Paige isn't doing so well.

"Ogling? What am I, some mad scientist genius?" Michael reads as Mewesey, the young Jason Mewes in the film.

"Hello, I thought you were a brainiac," Paige says as Trixie. "I meant, stop staring at the melons."

Oo, that was really bad. Like really really bad.

"Dude," Michael says as he takes over the glasses. "She's totally screwing me up," he tells Jason as he takes off the wig.

"Look, Trixie was a classy broad," Jason tells Paige. "She would say 'boobs'."

I look at Jason and raise an eyebrow. "That's slightly classier dude, but only by a little bit."

"My script says 'melons'," Paige says and looks at her script to make sure.

"Oh no, that's the old version," Jason says.

"Blazing through the scenes?" Robbie asks, coming out of nowhere. He places his hands on Jason's shoulders like he's a champ.

"Yeah, like a well oiled machine," Michael says in a slight sarcastic tone.

"This girl you picked, dude she looks the part, somewhat, but she's not exactly an actress though," Jason tells Robbie but in a voice that's not insulting Paige.

"This is my girl," Robbie says sternly while pointing at Paige. "Try to make it work."

Jason sighs in defeat, once again. "Alright guys, let's uh let's try this again," he says. "From the top." Jason looks slightly tired and irritated.

We try going through the scene again and once again it's a train wreck. Jason groans in frustration and irritation. Now he's looking down at me.

"We have the music scene to try to get through later today," he tells me. "Take her home and please work on the script with her."

I'm nodding my head. "Will do boss."

"Alright!" Jason yells in his director voice. "That's it for this scene. We'll meet back here later to do the finale musical scene."

Michael Ray walks off, probably going to his trailer. Paige walks over to Marco and me.

"I suck," she says in a sad tone.

Marco and I are both shaking our head disagreeing with her.

"You don't suck," Marco says. "You just need to practice."

"Yeah," I say agreeing with Marco. "Let's go back to your place, go over your lines and then we'll get the vocal coach to come over to get you ready for the musical scene.

"**Paige's" Mansion:  
**Alex, Beth, Ellie, Marco, and I are all in the kitchen with Paige right now trying to help her with her lines. Well at least Marco and I are trying to help. Ellie is reading a book with her feet on top of the counter, Alex is playing some game on her Nintendo DS, and Beth is just sitting beside me listening to Paige butcher her lines.

"How many times do I have to tell you Jason?" Paige asks as Trixie. "Stop staring at their boobs." Paige lets out a deep breath. "How was that?" she asks.

All of us are just looking at her, not really sure what to say. Ellie looks up from her book and kind of tilts her head.

"Honestly?' Ellie asks.

"Ugh," Paige groans. "We have beet at this for hours and I'm not getting any better. There goes my career as a Hollywood starlet."

"I thought Paige wanted to be a stylist or fashion designer?" Beth asks me in a whisper.

I just shrug my shoulders.

"So what?" Ellie asks. "When was the last time you acted, like grade ten?"

"Grade twelve," Paige corrects her. "Give me some credit."

"Does saying a couple of line in that Shakespeare play from grade twelve really count though?" Alex asks.

I hit Alex's arm. "Shut up," I say through clenched teeth. "You're not helping."

"Ok," Marco says, trying to calm Paige down, "They liked your screen test right? You can do this."

Oh, snap. I don't have the heart to tell them that Jason didn't like her screen test and neither did I. I was just really thrown off by the bad New Jersey accent. I kind of wish I had the tape right now so I could show everyone.

"I-I understood that scene!" Paige says. "I just- I need to calm down. Comfort food, like like back bacon and and maple syrup."

I think all of us are sort of drooling right now at the mention of back bacon and maple syrup. Man, I wouldn't mind being home right now. "

"Oh, the best stuff is at the Canadian shop," Paige says. "Get me some?"

"I'll go," Ellie says kind of quickly. "Um just run lines with everyone else until the voice coach comes."

"I'll go too," I tell them. "I could use some good old bacon right about now."

Ellie and I get up from our seats and start walking toward the door.

"Ok. I can do this," I hear Paige telling herself. "And thanks, thanks for everything you guys. I-it really means a lot to me."

Ellie and I close the door behind us and we both kind of breathe a sigh of relief when we get outside.

"I couldn't take anymore," Ellie tells me as we start walking.

"How do you think I feel?" I ask her. "I have to actually work on the set."

"Well I have a map right here so we should be able to get to the shop in no time and enjoy some good ol Canadian maple bacon."

"Oh God I hope so."

**Twenty Minutes Later:  
**It was only suppose to take us ten minutes to get to the Canadian store, ten minutes!

"Ellie you don't even know how to read that map," I tell her. I try taking the map from her.

Ellie pushes me away. "Jordan stop," she says. "I just have it upside down." Ellie looks up and points at a sign. "See, there it is."

We go around the corner. Oh my God is that?

"Ellie Nash?" Craig asks.

"Craig?" Ellie asks surprised and shocked. "Oh my God, hi."

"Hi."

They share a hug.

"As always Jordan goes unnoticed," I say out loud.

"Hey Jordan!" Craig exclaims.

"Hey Craig," I greet him back and we share a quick hug. I'm paying less attention to Craig and more attention to the girl standing behind him.

"I-I can't believe you're in L.A.," Craig says. I think he's talking more to Ellie than the both of us.

"I can't believe you're eating ketchup chips with Pete Wentz," Ellie says.

Oh my God! I didn't even notice that was Pete Wentz. I'm trying to figure out how I know the girl standing beside him.

"What can I say? We're addicted," Pete says, referring to the chips.

Craig chuckles. "Yeah uh, this is Pete and this is Cassadee from Hey Monday."

OH MY GOD!

"Hey," Cassadee greets us.

"Hey," Ellie greets her back.

"Dude introduced us to ketchup chips and now we can't go on tour without 'em," Pete says.

"Yeah, they're so hard to find but so worth it," Cassadee agrees.

"Oh my God," I say out of nowhere. "Your band is awesome!"

"Thanks," Pete says and grins.

"Um actually Pete I was talking to Cassadee. But your band is amazing too."

Cassadee laughs while it looks like Pete just blushed from embarrassment.

I walk over to Cassadee as Craig and Ellie continue their conversation.

"I go to FSU and a friend of mine and I took a road trip down to West Palm Beach one weekend and we saw your old band Blake perform. It was an AMAZING show."

"Thanks," Cassadee says politely.

"I'm actually from Tampa and my parents use to take me to West Palm Beach all the time to visit my grandparents. Very nice place."

Cassadee laughs. "I like to think so. You want a chip?" Cassadee points the bag in my direction.

I laugh nervously. "S-sure." I take a chip out of the bag. I don't even like ketchup chips but when a cute girl from an amazing band offers you a chip, you take the chip.

"Clean and sober for a year now," I hear Craig say.

Pete and Cassadee share a look saying this moment just got a little awkward.

"Anyway, we gotta hit a sound check but um see ya tonight?"

"Yeah!" Ellie says excitedly. Yeah, if we can tear ourselves away from the hustle and bustle of Hollywood."

Pete and I are both giving Ellie a weird look while Cassadee just smiles politely.

"It was nice meeting you guys," Ellie says.

"Nice meeting you," Cassadee tells Ellie.

"Pete, Cassadee, really both of you, amazing bands," I tell them, sounding like a star struck teenager.

They both chuckle. "Thanks," Pete says.

"Bye," Cassadee says.

"B-bye," I say nervously.

Craig just chuckles and pats me on the shoulder. "Later Jordan," he says.

Now they're walking away. I think I just died and went to heaven.

"Smooth Jordan," Ellie says. "Real smooth."

I raise an eyebrow and look at her. "The hustle and bustle of Hollywood?" I shake my head at her and look at my watch. "Shit! I gotta call Paul to come pick me up. I need to be back at the studio ASAP."

Ellie is nodding her head. "Ok, see ya later tonight?"

"Yeah maybe," I say quickly.

**Later, at the Studio:  
**Oh My God. This is like a car crash happening right in front og my eyes right now. The scene in front of me is so horrible but I can't look away, and neither can anyone else. Marco is chuckling while Alex and I are both looking with slight horror on our faces. Paige is on top of what looks like a tower of boxes in a blue prom dress and heels, trying to sing a song.

"And I was hoping that I could change you," Paige sings, badly while Michael is climbing up the stairs on his hands and knees. "Be the one to tame you but you were….You never-"

Oh my God, I think Paige is having a panic attack. I'm looking at Alex and I know she's thinking the same thing I'm thinking. Everyone else around us is either laughing or have looks of confusion on their faces. Even Marco is chuckling.

"But you never got close," Paige continues singing as she starts trying to walk down the tower of terror. "Maybe you didn't know…"

"Cut, cut, cut!" Jason yells. "Look, this is the moment I fell in love with Trixie. When I looked across the hall, my whole world changed. Alright, so when you sing this the audience has to feel that way too."

"Uh for the record I'm not, I'm not feeling this," Michael says, pointing at Paige.

It looks like Paige is having a hard time breathing and I can tell she's definitely on the verge of a panic attack up there.

"Hello!" Paige yells in a scared tone. "These stairs are gonna collapse like any second. The only thing I feel is terrified. Can someone help me down please?"

"Jason you need to get her down like right now dude," I say.

Jason sighs. "Alright, get her down please."

Two stage crew guys walk up and help Paige down. Alex runs over to Paige.

"Just breathe Paige," Alex tells Paige in a calming voice. "Breathe."

Paige gets her breathing under control and starts walking off the set. Alex, Marco and I are following her. Paige takes off the tiara angrily as Marco is laughing.

"I wish they filmed that," Marco says in between laughs. "It'd be great for the blooper reel."

"In case you didn't notice," Paige starts. She turns around and she looks really upset right now. "I had a panic attack in there and… you just laughed at me," she tells Marco. "Alex came over to calm me down and you just continued laughing. Ya know, I thought you would come to L.A. and be my friends but Ellie doesn't even want to come to the studio and you're not on my side."

"I am!" Marco exclaims. "Paige, it's going to be ok."

"No it's not, I'm gonna get and fired and I'll have to go back to picking up after Hailey's dog."

Wait, I thought Paige was her stylist not her dog sitter.

"I thought you were her stylist," Marco says, obviously a little hurt and confused that Paige lied to him. Wouldn't be the first time she lied to us about something though.

Paige is shaking her head. "I was her assistant."

Paige's phone begins to ring. Paige looks down at her phone.

"Wow, Robbie wants to see me," Paige says and starts laughing bitterly. "To fire me cause Paige fails again. Go, enjoy the pool while we still have it. Maybe Jordan will be able to get her hotel room back and you can stay with her since she's obviously doing better than I am."

Paige is now walking away from us. Someone's phone is ringing. Marco grabs his cell phone and pulls it out of his pocket. He answers his phone.

"Hi, Mrs. Nash," he says. "What's up?"

Ellie's mom is calling Marco? That's slightly weird.

"Come on, we gotta get back on set," I tell Alex.

We begin walking back over to Jason.

"Why'd you think Paige lied to us about being Hailey's assistant?" Alex asks.

"This sort of seems like the whole Banting thing all over again," I tell Alex. "Paige went off to Banting and didn't do as well as we or she thought she was going to do. Now she's moved out here to L.A. by herself hoping to succeed and she doesn't want to fail."

"But Paige knows she doesn't have to lie to us. We're her friends; we're going to continue liking her whether she's a stylist or an assistant. As long as she's happy we'll be proud of her."

I place a hand on Alex's shoulder. "That was a very caring and mature thing of you to say. Make sure you tell her that."

We reach Jason as he gets off his phone. Jason turns his attention to me.

"What was that?" he asks while pointing over to the tower or terror.

"Paige gets panic attacks sometimes," I tell him. "And you have to admit that being up that high is kind of scary."

Jason runs his hand through his hair tiredly. "This is not how I expected my first movie to go," he says.

"Hey, tomorrow's another day. Another brighter and hopefully better day," I tell him.

He's nodding his head. "You're right. I don't think I can handle anymore today anyway. Be back here tomorrow at 8 am sharp."

"No problem sir."

Jason walks away and Alex and I are walking the opposite direction to go get Marco. We walk to the limo and see Marco leaning against it. Marco sees us and stands up straight.

"I just got off the phone with Ellie's mom," he tells us.

"Why is Mrs. Nash calling you?" Alex asks.

"Apparently Ellie's dad is back from Afghanistan and he's sick. Ellie hasn't been to the hospital to see him."

I'm shocked, by both Ellie not seeing her dad and her dad being back. To be honest, I forgot Ellie had a dad. "How long has her dad been gone?" I ask.

"He left sometime early grade ten."

"Wait, Ellie's dad has been in Afghanistan for four years and he's just now getting back?"

Marco and Alex are both nodding their heads.

"No one sees anything wrong with this?"

"We need to get back to the house and talk to Ellie," Marco says.

We all get into the limo and Paul drives us the house.

"**Paige's" Mansion:  
**Alex, Marco, and I are all in the kitchen waiting for Ellie to get back. I don't know where she is but she's been gone since we went to the Canadian shop. We hear the door open and I see Ellie running toward us excited.

"Ok, guess what!" Ellie says excitedly.

Marco turns around quickly to look at Ellie. "Your mom called me," he tells her. Ellie's face drops. "She said you weren't answering your cell. Ellie she told me your dad's back from Afghanistan."

"It's complicated," Ellie says.

"I know. Your father's sick, you haven't even been to see him yet."

"Ellie, I have an uncle who did a tour in Iraq and when he came back he wasn't his normal self and it was hard to see him at first, not only me but for the whole family but we got through it," I tell her.

"Ok, I really don't wanna talk about this," Ellie says. She pushes the Canadian Shop bag into Marco's arms and turns around and starts walking away.

"You can't just avoid it," Marco says.

"Watch me," Ellie says back as she's walking away.

Marco sighs and turns around. He's looking at me and Alex.  
"I don't know dude," I tell him.

"Where is she going?" Alex asks.

Oh shit. "Um yeah," I start. "So when Ellie and I went out earlier we kind of ran into Craig Manning and he kind of invited Ellie to his show tonight." I say the last part quietly.

"And you didn't think to tell us about this?" Marco asks angrily.

"A lot has been going on today!" I yell. "I can't handle everyone's problems!"

"What's with all the shouting?" We all look up and Beth is standing there in nothing but a bathing suit.

"Oh life is just being really complicated right now," I tell her. What else can happen today?

**Later:  
**I'm currently lying down, trying to relax. Today has been rough and the day isn't even over yet.

"Jordan," Alex says, trying to get my attention.

Ugh, what now. "What?"

"There's some limo outside that's not ours and some chick in a dress is standing outside with it."

I lean up and look at Alex confused. "What?"

Alex and I go down the stairs and we're walking outside along with Marco. Paige is outside wearing a dress and talking to the girl standing outside the limo. What the hell is going on?

"Paige!" Marco yells. "Wait!"

We all jog over to Paige.

"I'm worried about Ellie," Marco says.

"Ugh, it's not the time Marco," Paige says as she's walking toward us.

"Where are you going?" Alex asks.

"The Young Women in Hollywood Gala," Paige says in her Queen-Bee voice. "It's very important that I make an appearance there."

"Paige," Marco starts. "Her dad's sick and she's in total denial about it. She won't talk to me or any of us."

"Our red carpet time is 8 o'clock," random chick says.

Paige looks back at the girl while Alex, Marco, and I are all give her the look that's telling her to shut the hell up.

"Paige, Ellie's hurting," Marco tells her, sounding hurt.

Paige rolls her eyes. "I'll talk to her, tomorrow," Paige says. This is my first red carpet, I wanna enjoy it."

Paige turns around and begins walking back to her limo. It's like she's walking back in slow motion with a mega bitch strut. By the looks on are faces you can tell that none of us are believing what is happening right now. Paige gets in the limo and is looking at us while the limo driver closes the door. The limo is driving away.

"What the hell just happened?" I asked.

"Remember hearing aboot how big of a bitch Paige was back in grade nine and ten?" Alex asks me.

I'm nodding my head. "Yeah."

"Well that was Queen-Bitch Paige."

Oh. Shit.

* * *

**A/N: So how long did it take you to get through the chapter? That long huh? Yeah I know. Well next chapter should be up soon. How much bitchier can Paige get? Oh we will see. REVIEW PLEASE! =)**


	29. From Hollywood

**A/N: so of course this chapter is shorter than the last. I don't think anything can beat that last chapter. Remember that the dashes means it's a different day. This would have been up sooner but my day came home for the weekend before he has to leave for Iraq so I spent time with him. So I recently noticed that my fav lesbian tv couples always includes a Hispanic girl and a blond white girls. Palex (Paige and Alex, of course you know this.), Britanna (Brittany and Santana from Glee), CalZona (Callie and Arizona from Grey's Anatomy), although Ashley in Spashley isn't hispanic she is a brunette with brown eyes and Spencer is a white blond girl. I'm just sayin' =)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi or it's characters. Also some lines are from Degrassi Goes Hollywood, which I also do not own. I do however own some new poster frames =)**

**SHOUT OUTS to **Amydraw99 **for getting her internet back =)**

**

* * *

**I remember the first day I met Paige and Alex. I remember walking into Alex and her threatening me. I remember asking Paige how to get to the principal's office because I had no idea where I was going. I've been there for their ups and downs these past three years. I've seen them grow and change and become the great wonderful women they are today. But what I just saw, what I just witness is something I don't even know how to begin to comprehend.

"Did she really just walk away and get in that limo to go to a stupid gala?" I ask Alex and Marco.

"Yep," Alex answers.

"I-I can't believe it."

"Well believe it because she just did it." Alex turns around and walks back into the house.

"Marco?"

"Yeah?" he anwers.

"Should I be scared?" I ask seriously.

"Possibly," he answers.

Marco walks into the house and I follow. As we're entering the house Ellie is leaving.

"Where are you going?" Marco asks her.

"A concert," she answers. "Don't wait up."

Marco hangs his head down and shakes it. I pat him on the shoulder. I walk into the living room and lay down on the couch. I grab a pillow and put it over my face. Maybe I can wish this day away. A body lies on top of mine and I'm just gonna go ahead and say that it's Beth. Beth kisses me on the neck.

"What's wrong?" she asks me.

I take the pillow off and raise my head up a little to look at her. "What was Paige like before I got to Degrassi?"

Beth whistles. "Do you really wanna know?"

"Yes please."

Beth sighs and sits up. "Paige was… Paige wasn't the nicest of girls. I mean remember how Alex was when you first met her?"

"Yeah, she was a bully but a nice person on the inside," I tell her.

"Well Paige was a bully but a different kind of bully."

"What?" I am really confused.

"Paige made you feel like nothing," Alex says, out of nowhere.

Alex walks from around the couch, bringing a chair her. She turns the chair and sits on it backwards.

"See I might have been a bully but I just picked on people and kicked their asses. Paige made people feel like utter and complete shit. She knew exactly what to say to make people cry. Paige would get inside your mind and whatever insult she threw at you would bury itself into your mind and a part of you would believe the insult and just like that," Alex snaps her fingers. "The waterworks would begin. Paige was ruthless, mean, and power hungry. At the time it didn't matter who she hurt, as long as everyone knew she was Queen Bee and Head Bitch in Charge."

"Um… I wasn't going to go that far but yeah," Beth says. "Paige was pretty much how Alex just described her, I guess."

I run a tired hand through my hair. "So let me ask you one thing," I tell Alex. "What I just saw out there, will it get worse than that?"

Alex sighs and shrugs her shoulders. "It could," she says. "Right now Paige is on some kind of high horse. We have to remind her that she's still the same Paige that originally moved out here. We have to remind her that just because she's starring in some movie doesn't make her a movie star."

I'm nodding my head, agreeing with Alex's plan. I just hope it doesn't get worse.

**Hours Later:**

Currently I'm on the kitchen counter eating some Cap'n Crunch. So what it's like one in the morning right now. It's never too late to eat Cap'n Crunch. Beth is upstairs sleeping and Alex is currently at the kitchen island reading a book. I heard someone come in earlier but I have no idea who it was.

Marco walks into the kitchen and he seems a little bothered.

"What's wrong with you?" I ask.

"Nothing," he mutters.

He puts some water on the stove to boil and angrily gets out some bread to make a sandwich.

"Who was that that came in earlier?" Alex asks.

"Oh, that was just Ellie," Marco says angrily.

Alex and I share a look. "Um, what's up with you?" I ask.

Marco walks over to the drawer and gets out a knife. He slams the draw back in.

"Ellie has decided to stay at Craig's," Marco says while opening a jar of peanut butter. "Apparently she needs to be around a friend who won't judge her." Marco violently puts the peanut butter on the bread. "Because Craig is such a good friend who won't judge her but instead will toy with her and then break her heart!" Marco slams the other slice of bread on top of the previous one.

"Ok, I'm going to take the knife away from you now," I say gently as I slide the butter knife over to my side and put it into the sink.

Marco grabs the hot water from the stove and makes himself a cup of tea.

"It's so ridiculous," Marco says.

"Life is ridiculous," Alex says bluntly.

"Wow Alex," Marco says. "Thanks for that insightful message." Marco angrily takes a bite out of his sandwich.

I continue eating my cereal. Cap'n Crunch is the only thing I can rely on right now. I hear the front door open and obnoxious laughing. Paige and who ever that other chick is must be back.

Paige and the other chick walk into the kitchen carrying gift bags and laughing. I find this to be very annoying right now.

"Peeps, this is Hailey," Paige introduces us to the other girl.

Since when did Paige refer to us as her peeps? And since when the hell did she call us her peeps? I just raise my head in greeting and continue eating my cereal. Alex keeps reading her book, not acknowledging anyone. Very badass of her, of course. Paige brings her laptop out and places it on the island. Paige turns on her laptop while Hailey starts digging into her gift bag. I can hear someone walking to the kitchen, can't be sneaky in heels.

Ellie enters the kitchen, holding her luggage. "If you need me I'll be at Craig's, trying to enjoy L.A.," Ellie tells us.

"That's the spirit Eleanor!" Paige says excitedly.

I watch Marco's eyes watch Ellie leave. Wow, someone must be really pissed at someone else.

"I told you should would be fine," Paige tells Marco. "She might even score while she's here. Anyway you missed a tré cool party. It was beyond words."

Hailey is still going through her gift bag, tossing tissue paper everywhere. Marco and I both roll our eyes and continue eating. Hailey suddenly gasps and looks at the laptop excitedly.

"Our pictures are all over the web," she says in an excited and annoying voice. "Perez called you the new celebuslut."

"That, that's good right?" Paige asks, unsure.

"Try great."

Oh so it's not ok to be a slut in high school but it's ok to be a celebuslut? I do not understand Hollywood at all. Marco and I are leaning over to look at the picture. Ugh, I wouldn't be so excited about that picture. Perez drew a witch hat on Paige's head and antennas on Hailey's head.

"Why is there antennas are your head?" Marco asks.

"I was thinking the same thing," I tell him.

Hailey looks over at us. "Sign of affection," she says.

"Or sign of him disliking you," I mutter.

Hailey rolls her eyes. "Of course you wouldn't know that," Hailey says, continuing her comment from earlier.

Marco and I are looking at each other thinking the same thing. What they hell does she mean "of course you wouldn't know that"?

"Oh, why's that?" Marco asks.

"Cause you're not in the biz," Hailey answers in a "duh" tone.

I place my cereal down. "Um excuse me," I say getting her attention. "What exactly do you do?"

"Uh hello, I'm the star of _The Shores_." There she goes again with that "duh" tone of voice.

"What the fuck is _The Shores_?" I ask. When I said "The Shores" I said it in an annoying Valley Girl voice. That was my impression of her. Pretty good if I do say so myself.

"It's a fake crappy reality show with really bad acting," Alex says bluntly, while still reading her book. That girl has skills.

"Uh excuse me," Hailey says. "What do you two do?" she asks Alex and me and points at us. Pointing is so rude.

Alex sighs and puts her book down. "I attend school where I get an education so one day when I'm older I can actually say I did something other than make myself look like a bitch on national television on some crappy reality show that people are going to forget about in two years," Alex says and smiles.

"And I make a difference in everyone's lives," I say sweetly and smile.

Alex rolls her eyes. "Being a pain in the ass is making a difference?"

I look at Alex. "You're so lucky I like you so much or I'd really give you a pain in the ass right now, with my foot." Alex sticks her tongue out at. So childish, but I love her.

"So pretty much you two are telling me that you're nobodies?" Hailey asks. "That's what I thought." Hailey laughs.

Alex stands up and balls a fist. "Oh I'll give you a nobody," she says threatening.

"Alex," Paige says in a warning tone. "Come on guys, things are finally working out. Just be happy for me, please." Paige looks at all of us.

I just throw my hand into the air, telling her "whatever". I grab my cereal and begin to eat it again while Alex sits back down in her chair. Paige and Hailey turn their attention back to the laptop.

"Look at this one," Hailey says while pointing to the laptop.

"Oh my God," Paige says. Do you realize how many people are going to see this? This is crazy."

Marco takes a sip of tea with a slightly worried look on his face. Yeah I'm worried too buddy, me too.

So it's the afternoon and I'm chillin in the living room with Alex, Beth, and Marco. After a long morning of shooting I need a break. Jason and I pretty much shot the scenes that didn't involve Paige today. She's not getting any better; she's actually getting kind of bitchier and worse at acting. It's getting really ridiculous.

"Guys, we need to do something about Paige," Marco says.

"I vote no," Alex says.

"But she's getting out of control," Marco says.

I shrug my shoulders. "It could be worst."

"Uh-oh," Alex says.

"What?"

"You just said the most dangerous words in the world," she says in her "I told you so" voice.

"What are you talking about?"

I hear the front door open and heels on the ground. Oh lord, they're back. Paige and Hailey enter the room with large shopping bags in their hands.

"Guess what," Paige says. "Tomorrow I'm throwing a huge birthday bash."

A confused look appears on Marco's face. "For who?" he asks.

"For me duh," Paige answers in her Queen-Bee voice. Uh-oh. "Tomorrow we'll be celebrating my 18th birthday."

Beth looks really confused. "But Paige wasn't your 20th birthday like two months ago?" she asks.

"Hon, youth is king," Paige says.

Where the hell did she get that bull from?

"Paige, what have I told you about using that word?" Hailey says.

"Right," Paige answers like a servant. "Babe youth is king." Paige tells Beth.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Alex says. "Did you seriously just go from 'hon' to 'babe'?"

I look at Alex. "I think she did," I tell her. I turn back to Paige. "Paige why is this celebrity-wanna-be telling you how to talk? You've said 'hon' since the day I met you."

"You've been saying 'hon' since forever," Marco says.

"She can't just call people 'hon' out here," Hailey says. "That's kind of bougie."

Alex and I look at each other. Alex mouths "bougie?" to me. I just shake my head, telling her to forget about it.

"Well we like it when Paige calls us 'hon'," I tell Hailey, speaking for the whole group. "It lets us know that she cares. It makes us feel special."

"It also makes us feel stupid and dumb sometimes," Alex mutters.

I turn my head quickly and look at her. "Shut up," I tell her through clenched teeth. "You're not helping." I turn my head back around and look at Paige and Hailey. "The point is," I continue. "Paige shouldn't have to change herself. We like her for the way she is."

"Paige, is this chick like your girlfriend or something?" Hailey asks.

Beth stands up from her seat and I feel her slide her hand into mine. "No," she says. "I happen to be this chick's girlfriend," Beth says in her slightly pissed off nice voice.

Hailey's eyes widen. "You two are…lesbians?" Hailey whispers.

I raise an eyebrow. "Did she really do what I think she just did?" I ask.

"Yep," Alex answers nonchalantly.

Paige holds up her hands. "Alright let's just all calm down here for a second," Paige says calmly. "The fact of the matter is that tomorrow we'll be celebrating my birthday."

"Ok, 'birthday' girl. Do you have your lines memorized?" I ask. "Because tomorrow you also have to be on set for shooting and if you don't know you're lines then we can't shoot which means we can't make a movie."

"Jordan, calm down," Paige says, once again in her Queen-Bee voice. I think she's about to enter Queen-Bitch mode.

Now Paige is holding up her hand like she's saying "talk to the hand". Oh hellz no. I love Paige, I do, but this is starting to get ridiculous.

"And just know that I do expect presents from each of you," Paige says.

"It's not even your birthday!" Marco exclaims while throwing his hands into the air.

"Marco, whose house is this?" Paige asks.

"Not yours," Alex mutters, but no one notices.

"And who flew you out here in the first place?"

Marco is just staring at Paige. He can't believe what she's saying and neither can I. Paige drops her bags on the floor.

"Now please be dears and plan the party," she says. "It's tomorrow afternoon."

Now she and Hailey are walking away. Alex, Beth, Marco, and I are all looking at each other with our mouths wide open. You've got to be shitting me.

**Later:**

It's kind of late but I'm heading downstairs because I am in desperate need of something to drink. I think I want this drink to have some alcohol in it to. This whole Hollywood trip has just been stressful. I mean from helping Jason with the movie, to dealing with Paige's bad acting, then dealing with Paige's horrible bitchy attitude, and trying to spend time with my girlfriend. I need a vacation from this vacation.

I turn the corner to walk through the living room to get to the kitchen. Whoa, whoa, whoa. What the hell? Paige and Alex? Why are they sitting on the couch together? I peer around the corner to watch, because I'm a creeper obviously.

"Paige I don't get what's going on with you lately," Alex tells Paige.

"What do you mean hon?" Paige asks innocently.

"Oh so when Hailey's not around you can say 'hon'?"

"Lexi..." Paige starts.

"I mean, this isn't you. This isn't the Paige Michalchuk I know," Alex says sincerely. "Look at what this place and that bitch are doing to you."

Paige rests her hand on Alex's knee. "Lexi, I'm still the same. Yeah I'm slightly different but in a good way."

Alex sighs. "It's just… It's just seems like you're changing, and not for the better."

"Of course I'm changing for the better. In T.O. I was a college dropout loser assistant to some fashion magazine bitch. Out here in L.A., I'm a star."

I scoff roll my eyes. Star my ass.

"Paige, none of us thought you were a loser in T.O. We all love you and love who you are and what you have accomplished. So what Banting didn't work out? Most people drop out of college after their first semester anyway. It's not for everyone." Alex places a hand on Paige's arm. "Just know that we care about you," she says in a very loving voice. "I care about you."

Paige places her hand on Alex's cheek. Is she caressing her cheek? Alright, now this is getting a little weird for me.

"And I care about you too hon," Paige says.

Oh my God, is Paige leaning in? Is she really going to-? Alex jumps back right as Paige's lips were about to touch hers. Alex is now standing, slightly away from the couch.

Alex laughs nervously. "Paige, w-what are you doing?" she asks nervously.

"Um I think I was about to kiss you hon," Paige says in a "duh" voice.

"Paige, I have a girlfriend," Alex says seriously.

Paige gets up from the couch and approaches Alex. "Yeah and?"

"And I'm in a seriously relationship. Paige…"

Paige scoffs. "Oh come on Alex! We all know why you're with her. She's just a downgraded loser version of me."

Holy shit! Did that really just come out of Paige's mouth?

Alex is shaking her head and pointing an angry finger at Paige. "You have no idea what you're talking aboot."

"I seem to remember the last time I kissed you and you had a girlfriend you broke up with her and got back together with me."

Alex throws her arms into the air. "And look how well that turned out!" she yells.

"Lexi, no need to be angry," Paige says calmly and once again in her Queen-Bee voice. Paige grabs Alex's hand. "I'll take you back."

Holy mother trucker! You have got to be kidding me. Are you hearing this? I hope I'm not the only one hearing this crap.

"You'll take me back?" Alex asks angrily and in disbelief. Alex yanks her hand out of Paige's. "You're the one that broke up with me and then kicked me out on the street!"

Paige crosses her arms across her chest. "Don't you think you're being a bit dramatic?"

Alex scoffs. "Dramatic?" she yells. "Paige you kicked me out and chose your job over me!"

Paige uncrosses her arms. "I thought I was making the best decision for us at the time!" Paige yells. "Besides you said you had an aunt you could go to. How was I supposed to know you were lying?"

"Paige anyone who knows me even a little would be able to see through that lie!" Alex's voice cracks a bit. Uh-oh, she's about to cry. "Jordan saw through it and you know what she did?"

"She had her mommy and daddy take you in like orphan Annie," Paige says cruelly.

I place a hand over my mouth so that neither Paige nor Alex can hear me gasp. Now that was just low. Alex walks up to Paige. Alex just popped the bubble of personal space.

"Jordan acted like a true friend and took me in. Jordan took me in when the girl I lo-, when the girl I loved kicked me out. She was a better friend than you could EVER be."

Alex starts walking away from Paige.

"You're walking away like you're all high and mighty but you're not Alex. Have you even talked to your mom since you left? And I mean you're real mom, not Jordan's mom."

Alex stops. Even from here I can tell that her nostrils are flaring, which means that she is really angry. Alex turns around.

"Fuck you Paige Michalchuk," she says with so much hate and venom in her voice that I'm really scared right now.

Paige laughs bitterly. "You wish Alex Nuñez, you wish."

_CRASH!_

Yeah, Alex just kicked over the vase she was standing next to. Now there's a million vase pieces on the floor. Someone's going to have to clean that up later. Alex walks by me, not even noticing me. When Alex doesn't notice me then I know she's really upset. Alex stomps up the stairs and slams her door shut.

I have so much anger running through my veins right now that I'm not 100% sure what to do. I enter the living room with my hands in my pockets looking down at the ground while Paige is just staring at the broken vase on the floor.

"Someone is going to have to clean that up," Paige says bluntly.

"So what?" I ask and shrug my shoulders. "You think just because you're a blond again you can be a bitch to all your friends?"

"What did you just say to me?" Paige asks.

"I think the real question is…" I raise my head up and look at Paige. "Who the hell do you think you are?" I ask, trying to keep the anger in me down.

"I think you're forgetting whose house you're staying at hon," Paige says in her Queen-Bitch voice.

I raise my arms indicating the whole house. "This isn't even your house!" I yell. "It's the studio's house." I laugh sadly. "What happened to you Paige? What happened to all that progress we made over the summer? I want that Paige back. Because what you just said and did to Alex back there, that wasn't right."

"I was just being honest."

I point my finger at her angrily. "No, you were being a ranging bitch. Paige, do you even see how you've been acting these past few days? Have you noticed how you've been treating your friends?"

Paige's demeanor doesn't change. I start walking toward her.

"We're your friends," I tell her. "Alex, Beth, Ellie, Marco and I are all your friends. We've been there for you through your ups and downs. We were there when all that stuff with Mr. Oleandor happened. We were there for you when the drama with Manny was escalating. We were all there when Rick entered OUR school and shout OUR friend. And I might have only known you for about three and a half years now but I know that Marco has been there for you. So Paige, please tell me why you're acting like this to us? To your family?" My eyes are starting to sting and I know I'm about to start crying.

"My family?" Paige asks bitterly. "My true family would be happy for me right now. My true family would be happy that I've finally accomplish something in my life!"

I can't even read the emotions on Paige's face right now. Her eyes look like a storm's brewing and she's breathing heavly.

"You think being a Hollywood bitch is accomplishing something?" I'm shaking my head. "You need to set your priorities straight Paige."

Paige laughs bitterly. "Jordan Johnson," she says my name, venom dripping from her voice. "You act all high and mighty. You give everyone advice on how to help improve their lives and how they should act but do you ever for once look at yourself. Beth broke up with you and you became a total waste of space."

Ow, I'll be honest, that one kind of hurt.

"From what I heard you dated some loser girl and you were getting drunk all the time, trying to drink your sorrows away. All you did was whine, whine, whine, saying "woe is me, woe is me". Now that doesn't sound too high and mighty to me. Nor does it sound like you're changing anyone's lives."

"Why are you trying to hurt me?" I ask my voice cracking.

"I'm just being honest hon. I mean that's what family does for each other right? Be honest with one another."

My body is shaking with anger now. I really REALLY want to punch Paige in the face right now but I'm going to walk away. I start walking away.

"Hey Jordan!" Paige calls out my name and I slow down my walking. "You call me a Hollywood Bitch but I'd rather be a bitch than some loser who only hangs out with her high school friends all day and does nothing else important with her life, any day.

I ball my hand into a fist. "I'd rather be a loser than a ranging cunt!" I yell.

I continue walking away from Paige, away from our friendship. I can't fucking wait to leave Hollywood.

* * *

**A/N: WHEN WILL THE DRAMA END? Next chapter will be the conclusion of the Hollywood trilogy and then we'll be moving on =) please review **


	30. Holly Wood Died

**A/N: Move-In and being back in school is rough and time consuming. Plus this ended up being a lot longer than I had planned. But here it is! The final chapter of the Hollywood saga. If you can tell me where I got the chapter title from I'll give you a virtual cookie =)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi or its characters. Some of the lines in here are from Degrassi Goes To Hollywood which I also do not own. I do however own my own radio show =)  
**

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**Vacation, a period of suspension of work, study, or other activity, usually used for rest, recreation, or travel; recess or holiday. A period of suspension of study? Check. A period of recreation and travel? Double Check. A period of rest? Hmm, well if you call resting having to deal with major bitch drama, then triple check. I am so angry and hurt right now but I'm also tired. Arguing with Paige drains one's energy like no other.

I'm heading upstairs to my room now to go to sleep. I can't believe what actually happened down there. I can't believe Paige actually said those things to me, and to Alex. Oh shit, I should probably check on Alex. I walk to Alex's room and knock on the door.

_Knock, knock_

No answer. I knock again.

_Knock, knock. _"Alex," I call out her name. "Alex, it's me Jordan."

Still no answer. I try turning the door knob. Damn, it's locked. This is really not a good sign.

"Alex, talk to me please," I plead through the door.

Still nothing, I hear absolutely nothing. Ugh, alright.

"I guess I'll just see you in the morning."

I walk to my room. I walk into the bedroom and get in the bed.

"Jordan?" Beth is half awake.

I kiss her forehead. "Yeah it's me," I tell her. "Go to sleep."

"What was going on downstairs? I thought I heard yelling."

I sigh. "Just more drama that one would think would be over but it's not."

I feel Beth slip her arm around my waist. "Are you ok?" she asks, concerned and worried.

I turn on the lamp on the bedside desk and look at Beth. "Can I ask you something?"

"You can ask me anything."

I take a deep breath. "How did you handle the break up? I mean you probably handled it better than me since ya know, you broke up with me, but how'd you handle it?"

"My roommate Juliana will tell you that I buried myself in school and work," Beth says. "But that's not even the half of it. I cried a lot at the beginning. I cried because we weren't together, because I knew it was my decision that caused us to not be together, and because I thought you were off at FSU getting with other girls."

I see a tear falling down Beth's cheek. I wipe the tear away with my thumb. Beth laughs.

"Look at me," she says. "I'm crying now." She takes a deep breath. "It hurt, not being able to call you mine but I thought it was what was best for me. I thought you were going to break my heart anyway so I wanted to beat you to the punch."

I kiss Beth. "I could never break your heart," I tell her with a lot of emotion in my voice.

Beth smiles at me. "I know that now. And I'm sorry I broke yours."

"It doesn't matter because we're together now and you mended my heart."

I smile as Beth leans in to kiss me. Forget the drama that is going on because right now all that matters is that I'm with the woman I love. Wait, I forgot something. I pull away.

"Who was that girl you were kissing back at the club during spring break?" I ask.

"You mean after we talked?"

I nod my head. "Yeah."

Beth laughs. "That was actually Juliana," she says.

I raise an eyebrow. "You made out with your roommate?"

"Umm yeah… I told her that I needed her to make out with me so I could make you upset. Wasn't that hard to convince her since she was a little tipsy anyway. But in my defense you made out with Tammy right in front of me afterwards while looking straight at me."

"Yeah, because I saw you making out with some random chick. Wait, are you rooming with Juliana this year?"

"Yes, but before you say anything just know that she is completely straight and that kiss between us meant absolutely nothing."

"Mhm, ok. Who's the better kisser?"

Beth laughs. "You of course," she says.

"Damn straight."

Beth and I begin a make-out session of our own. For now I'll be able to escape the drama and hurricane known as Hurricane Paige.

It's one thing to be late when you're a GOOD actress but it's another thing to be late when you're a BAD actress. I look at my cell phone to check the time. It's ten o'clock and Paige was supposed to be here at nine. Ugh, this is totally and utterly ridiculous.

"Where is she?" Jason asks me for the hundredth time. The dude is like breathing down my neck now.

I shrug my shoulders. "I don't know," I tell him. "I called her phone and it just went straight to voicemail."

"Well as my assistant I'm going to need you to think of SOMETHING," he says annoyed.

"Ok, ok," I tell him trying to calm him down. "I'll call Marco."

I pull out my phone and call Marco's cell.

"Hey Jordan," Marco greets me. "What's up?"

"Marco where is Paige?" I ask him. "She was supposed to be here like an hour ago and Jason is really breathing down my neck."

"Shit," Marco says. "I'll try to get her there as soon as possible."

"Yeah, please do that," I tell him and close the phone.

Jason walks over to me. "And?"

"Do you want me to go get you something, like maybe coffee or soothing green tea?"

"Can you get me Manny Santos? Can ya do that please?"

"Um… I don't know?"

Jason throws his hands up in the air and yells. "Awww!" He takes his hat off and throws it on the ground. "Michael!" he yells. "Let's just rehearse scene five from the top."

Jason is walking away and I can honestly say that I'm slightly scared. I get my phone out and text Beth.

_J:Please tell me you have Manny Santos' number._

_B:Possibly. Why?_

_J:Call her for me and tell her that we desperately need her in L.A. Love you._

_B:Love you too._

How can things possibly get any worse?

**Later:  
**Jason, Michael, and I are currently running through a scene and guess what. Paige is still not here. She better be stuck in some awful L.A. traffic.

"Just remember that Mewes in this scene, he just caught a 30 yard pass," Jason is telling Michael. "He's feeling good, he's -."

"Aw, hey sunshine," Michael greets someone.

Jason and I both turn around and it's Paige. Paige looks rough, and not the good rough. Marco is standing behind her with two cups of coffee in his hands and her purse. Wow.

"It's about damn time," I mutter.

"I suppose you're late cause you wanted extra time to learn your lines," Jason tells Paige.

"Of course," Paige says sarcastically.

"Alright people, let's try this from the top!" Jason yells. "Scene five, and this time with our actress." Paige gives Jason a sarcastic smile. "Senior year, young Mewsey just scored the winning point of the homecoming game. He then approaches Trixie and-." Jason says action with his hands.

"Hey, did you see that last catch?" Michael/Mewsey asks. "Pretty slick huh?"

"You uh think just because you're a football playa you're gonna score a touchdown with me?" Paige/Trixie asks in a still horrible New Jersey accent.

Jason and I look at our scripts because we're both pretty sure those were not the right lines.

"Dude, she got the line wrong again," Michael tells us. Thank you Captain Obvious.

"Look, can you just do it as scripted?" Jason asks Paige. "Unless in addition to being late you still don't know your lines."

"Of course I know them," Paige exclaims. "It's just, I like my line better."

I throw my face into my script. Please tell me this is not happening.

"Why's that?" Jason asks

Paige starts walking toward Jason and me. "Because I know Trixie. I know the way she thinks, the way she talks," Paige takes the script from Jason. "And Trixie would never say 'You're not my type goldilocks'."

Well Paigey you also know how to be a total bitch to not only your friends but also your boss.

"Uh yeah she would and she did, to me," Jason says while Paige hands him back his script. "I was there."

"That's true," I say. "This is a movie about Jason's life."

Paige rolls her eyes at me and turns her attention back to Jason. "And how many screenplays have you written?" she asks him with attitude. "You're a first time writer/director. What do you know?" Uh-oh, she's giving Jason her bitch face.

"Alright, if you're not going to do it my way then, GET OFF OF MY SET!" Jason yells.

Whoa. I didn't see that coming, yet I kind of did. I can hear people in the back saying "ooh" and some are laughing.

"Fine," Paige says.

"Yeah, fine," Jason says right back.

Paige is walking away. "God he is such a diva." I hear Paige tell the dancers behind us.

I turn around and watch Paige walk away. I feel my phone vibrating in my pocket. I pull my phone out and Beth's name is flashing across the screen. I answer my phone.

"Please tell me you contacted Manny," I plead.

"Not exactly but I do have good news," Beth says. "I talked to Jay."

"Unless Jay is on his way to L.A. right now with Manny I don't see how you talking to Jay helps at all."

"Ok Jordan Johnson, I 'm going to ask you to calm down for about five minutes."

"You wouldn't be so calm if you were dealing with a really bitchy friend on one hand, a sister/best friend who's currently not talking to anyone on the other hand, and a first time director breathing down your neck on the other hand. That's three hands and I only have two!

"JORDAN, SILENCIO!" Beth yells. "Are you listening now?"

"Yes," I answer, slightly scared. A yelling Beth is not a pleasant Beth.

"I talked to Jay and he told me that he is on his way to L.A. and Manny is with him."

Wait, what? "Wait, what?"

"Yeah, maybe if you had been calm earlier I would have told you without having to yell at you."

"I love you dear," I tell her sweetly.

"Yeah yeah yeah. Just tell Mr. Mewes that Manny is on her way."

"Will do. Thank you, love you."

"Te amo tambien."

I walk over to a still fuming Jason Mewes. His nostrils are flaring and his face is kind of red.

"I'm guessing now would be the perfect time to give you some good news?" I ask.

"Ya think?" Jason asks sarcastically. I do not like the attitude.

"Do I need to call Kevin to get him to calm you down bro? I mean what you just had to deal with I've had to deal with almost on a daily basis for the past three years. Sure, not to that extent but still. Now do you want to hear the good news or not? And no sarcastic come back question or answer."

Jason sighs. "Yes please."

I smile and nod. "That's better. I have to my knowledge that Manny Santos is somewhere in America on her way here right now."

Jason's face just literally lit up and now he's smiling like a little kid. "Seriously?" he asks.

I'm nodding my head. "Yep."

"Where is she?"

Ok, I wasn't exactly prepared for that question. "Um, yeah not entirely sure but I will try my hardest to find out."

Jason pats my shoulder. "You're a good assistant Jordan," he tells me.

"Thanks, one problem though. Before you can hire Manny don't you have to fire someone else?"

Jason runs his hand through his hair. "True," he agrees. "Where is she? Let's just do it now."

Jason and I are both looking around for Paige. "Has anyone seen Paige?" I yell.

"She said she had some party she had to get ready for!" some random crew member yells back.

Oo, IDEA! I know I'm wearing a mischievous smile on my face right now. Usually I'm not one for public embarrassment but I feel the need to knock Paige off of her high horse, hard.

"Jason, how do you feel about crashing a birthday party?" I ask.

**BIRTHDAY! Party:  
**Yes, I am going to Paige's "birthday" party. Yes, I'm still pissed off at Paige for what happened last night. Yes, I do have a plan to get back at her. No, I haven't seen Alex at all today. I hope that answers all the questions you were going to ask me. I'm currently getting dressed for this stupid party. What am I wearing? Oh, I'm wearing a pair of faded black jeans, a white button down shirt with a skinny green tie, and my favorite pair of skater shoes. I might not be up for celebrating a fake birthday party but I still need to look good. My amazing girlfriend is wearing a dark green banded scoop-neck dress with matching heels. I'm currently looking at myself in the mirror, making sure I look good.

"You look hot," Beth tells me.

"Not as hot as you though," I tell her and smile cheeky.

"Oh you're such a suck up. Good thing I love you anyway." Beth kisses me on the cheek. "So what's the update on Alex?"

I shrug my shoulders. "I have no idea. Did you get any progress with her since you've been here?"

"She came out of her room once to get some food and that was it. Whatever Paige said to her must have been really harsh."

"You have no idea, but that's ok because Paige will soon be knocked off her high horse."

Beth wraps her arms around me and rests her head on my shoulder. "You sure you want to do this?" she asks me while we're both looking at our reflections in the mirror.

"Sometimes to save someone you have to hurt them." I tighten my tie. "Let's go."

Beth and I go downstairs and outside where the party is already in full swing. There's a huge banner hanging from the balcony that says "Happy Birthday Paige" and has 18 all over it. This makes me chuckle. Paige can't even pull off 18, just saying.

"Go ahead and go mingle," I tell Beth. "I'll catch up with you later." I kiss her on the cheek.

Beth goes one way while I go another. I see Ellie at the mojito bar. Uh-oh, this cannot be good. When I got back to the house earlier today Marco told me how Ellie came back because Craig's girlfriend, who we didn't even know existed, came back into town. So drinking Ellie is not so good right now. I walk over to her.

"Hey Ellie," I greet her.

"Hey Jordan!" Ellie greets me way too excitedly.

I think someone might already be buzzed. "El, you know that the drinking age here is 21 right?"

"Not when you're in Hollywood," Ellie says and smiles.

Marco walks up to us. "Paige is out of control!" he exclaims.

I raise an eyebrow. "You're just now figuring this out?" I ask him.

"Another mojito please," Ellie tells the bartender.

"Whoa ho slow down there champ," Marco tells Ellie.

"Yeah, El how many of those have you had already?" I ask.

"Ya know what? There's a spot at the beach that is so, so beautiful." Ellie tells us.

And suddenly the wicked bitch of Hollywood and Canada has miraculously appeared.

"Ugh, my phone keeps interrupting my partying," Paige tells us. "It's your mother." Paige is pointing her phone in Ellie's direction. Ellie is just sort of looking at it. "Aren't you gonna take it?" Paige asks.

Ellie takes Paige's phone and walks away to talk to her mom.

"So Jordan," Paige turns her attention to me. Why God, why me? "Interesting, seeing you here at my party."

"Well Paige, you know how I love cake and good fake birthday parties." I tell her and give her a fake smile.

"This party isn't fake hon," Paige says.

"It's not even your birthday Paige," I tell her. "You're birthday was two months ago and you turned 20. Come on now." I feel my phone in my pants vibrating. I take my phone out and smile at the name flashing on the screen. "Excuse, business call," I tell Paige in my own Queen-Bee voice.

I walk inside. "Hey," I answer my phone.

"Ok, I'm here in the front."

"I'll come get you."

I walk to the front door and Jason's standing there.

"You ready?" I ask him.

"I'm ready to get my tiara back," he says simply.

I nod my head and walk back to the party with Jason behind me. We walk over to Paige and her posse. Paige sees Jason and smiles.

"I am glad you came," Paige tells Jason. "Don't worry about apologizing, you're totally forgiven."

"Forgiven for what?" Jason asks.

"For kicking me off set of course," Paige says like it should be obvious while Holly is looking on. "It was très rude but I'm over it."

"Look, bad acting I can deal with but Kevin told me not to let some chick with a bad attitude ruin my first film."

Paige's face says she can't believe what Jason is saying. "Are, are you trying to embarrass me in front of my guests or is this a plan to repair your damaged ego?"

Now Paige's entire posse is watching. What Paige just said was her plan to try to repair HER damaged ego.

"Alright, for your information I came here to get Trixie's tiara back." Jason takes the tiara right off of Paige's head.

Haha, ok that was a little funny because he also messed up Paige's hair a little bit in the process.

"Ow!" Paige exclaims. "You can't fire me, I'm the star!"

"'You can't fire me I'm the-' no! You're fired!" Jason tells her in a very stern voice. "You were barely a star. You're more like a circle." And with that Jason is now walking away.

Hailey's mouth is wide open and she should probably close it before a fly flies into it.

"Well the studio loves me!" Paige yells after Jason. Paige turns back to her posse. "Mewes, such a drama queen."

I click a button on my phone, ending the recording. I dial Jason's number.

"Hey," Jason answers the phone. "That felt really good."

"And it'll feel even better pretty soon. I'll meet you at the studio in about an hour."

"Alrighty."

I find Beth and she has a worried look on her face.

"What's wrong?" I ask.

"It's Ellie," she says. "She's been drinking and I don't know what to do."

I look at the direction Beth is looking at. Shit, Ellie is downing a bottle of alcohol. I can see why Beth is freaking out. She's never had to deal with alcoholism before so of course she doesn't know what to do about Ellie.

"Listen, just try to make sure Ellie doesn't do anything rash and I'm going to go run and get Alex ok?"

Beth is just nodding her head. I run into the house and up the stairs. I start banging on Alex' door.

"Alex! Alex open the goddamn door!" I continue yelling and banging on Alex's door. "Alex! Ellie is downing a bottle of vodka downstairs!"

The door suddenly opens. Wow, no wonder Alex hasn't left her room lately, she looks like shit.

"What?" she asks.

"Ellie is downstairs drinking her ass off and Paige is too busy in her own world to notice, Marco is off somewhere, and neither Beth nor I know what to do. Ellie needs you."

Alex literally just zoomed past me. There is literally a cloud of smoke where Alex was just standing. I run downstairs after her. I'm back in the backyard but I don't see Ellie.

"Where is she?" Alex asks me.

"I don't know!" I yell. "She was just here!"

I notice Beth standing by the pool. Alex and I run over to Beth. Marco and Craig are both in the pool, fully clothed. When the hell did Craig get here?

"Nice going dude!" Marco says and pushes Craig.

"It's not my fault!" Craig shouts and splashes Marco. "You let her get away."

"Shut the fuck up, both of you!" Alex yells. Marco and Craig stop acting like children and focus on the very angry Alex. "Where the hell is Ellie?"

"She ran off!" Marco yells.

"What do you mean she ran off?"

"Marco let her go!" Craig yells and splashes Marco.

"Hey!" I yell. "This is not the time to be fighting about whose fault this year. We have to go find Ellie now before she hurts herself!"

I help Craig out of the pool while Alex helps Marco out. We all start running toward the exit, even Beth who happens to be wearing heels. Paige steps in front of me while the others continue toward the exit.

"Jordan, you're ruining my party," Paige tells me in a snobby tone.

"Our friend is in trouble and all you care about is this damn party?" I ask enraged.

"Ellie will get over whatever it is that she's upset about."

"OPEN YOUR EYES PAIGE!" I yell. I notice everyone staring at us now. "Ellie is my friend and she use to be yours. She needs us right now. She's hurting and she's been drinking, and you know her family history with alcohol."

Paige's nostrils are flaring which means she's embarrassed right now. "Jordan, leave my party," she orders.

"Gladly." I turn to the rest of the guests. "By the way everyone, Paige turned 20 two months ago!"

I hear random people gasping. I give Paige a bitchy smile and the finger and walk away. I walk to the front and the others are already with Paul by the limo.

"Think," Alex tells Craig. "Where would Ellie go?"

Craig is shaking her head. "I don't know I don't know," he says frustrated

"Is there any special place she might know in the area?" Beth asks.

Marco snaps his finger. "She was talking aboot some spot on the beach that's really beautiful or something," Marco tells us.

"The beach!" Craig yells. It's like a light bulb just went off in his head. "I took her to this spot on the beach yesterday. She loved it."

"Ok then we'll go there first!" Alex says.

We're all getting into the car.

_Lifestyles of the rich and the famous they're always complainin, always complainin_

What the eff. I look at my phone and Jason's name is flashing.

"Guys, Jason is calling me," I tell everyone. "I'll tell him that what I'm doing right now is far too important."

"No you go Jordan," Marco says. "If too many of us approach Ellie it could get even worse."

"Are you sure?"

"Marco's right," Alex says. "We'll call you with an update."

I'm nodding my head. "Ok, I'll get to the studio some other way; y'all just go straight to the beach and find Ellie."

I kiss Beth goodbye and close the limo door. The limo is driving off now. I pray to God they find Ellie. I answer my phone.

"Hey Jason, what's up?"

"I need you at the studio."

"Ok, can you send a car please?"

"Sure no problem."

I close my phone, ending the call. Part two of kicking Paige of her high horse I guess.

**Studio:  
**I'm currently in Jason's office with Jason and his other assistant and Jason and I are talking to Kevin via Yahoo messenger.

"So what did you do?" Kevin asks me.

"I flicked her off," I tell him. I just told Kevin what happened at Paige's "birthday" party and how I yelled at her and then gave her the finger.

"Classy JJ," Kevin says sarcastically.

"Dude you don't understand! This whole Hollywood thing has gone to her head. And the things she said to Alex the other night were so out of line. I don't even recognize this girl anymore."

"Sir, she's not even a good actress," Jason tells Kevin. "I had to fire her. Her acting was bad and so was her attitude."

I'm nodding my head, agreeing with Jason. "He's not lying there."

"Ok well since you fired your lead you have to pick a new lead. You did audition all those other girls."

I don't know sir, none of them are Manny and Manny is lost somewhere," Jason tells Kevin. "What if she doesn't make it?" Jason sounds both upset and slightly nervous.

Kevin burps. "Excuse me," he says. The man does have manners. "I know I said I'd be your spiritual advisor through this little film of yours but… You have to find a Trixie that works for you ok? Right in here," Kevin is pointing to his heart. "And you know who that is. I think you should follow your heart. I don't think you should sell out this quickly. Took me years dude, years."

Both Jason and I are smiling, nodding our heads. "That's true," Jason says. "Thanks sir."

"Yeah."

I hear the door open and turn around. Oh you have got to be kidding me. I get my phone ready.

"Paige told me what happened," Robbie says. "Now let's not overreact."

Oh, did Paige tell him how she sucks at acting or did she tell him how she's been acting like a diva and been treating her friends like shit lately? No, I doubt Paige told Robbie exactly what happened.

"You insisted I use her and I tried," Jason says. "But not only is she a bad actress, she has a bad attitude."

And now Paige is showing her bad attitude bitch face. I look at the computer screen and Kevin and he's moving his hands around telling people to move around so he can see, although no one hears him except for me.

"Come on, work with me here," Robbie says. "Paige is prepared to accept an apology."

"You need me," Paige says.

"Yeah, we need you like Heather Sinclair needs another STD," I mutter.

"This little girl is creating some good buzz and don't forget, we optioned your story," Robbie tells us. "The studio owns _Mewsical High_."

So right now Robbie looks like a douche bag and Paige is smiling smugly. Great…

"Look I'm still director and I'm recasting. I want Manny Santos," Jason says, putting his foot down.

Paige is laughs in disbelief. "Manny Santos? Please!"

"You mean that girl with the terrible audition tape?" Robbie asks. "You can't have Manny. You can have Paige."

"She's not my Trixie." Jason says.

"She's really not anyone's Trixie when you think about it," I say, out loud.

Oo Paige is giving me her bitch stare. Oo I'm so scared, except that I'm not.

"Then you're fired," Robbie tells Jason.

"Fired?" Jason exclaims. "I quit!"

What? I look back at Kevin on the computer screen and his facial expression is the same as mine. Neither of us can believe what just happened. Jason is now walking out of the studio but he's doing it with grace and dignity.

"Don't worry, he doesn't mean it," Paige tells Robbie.

_Slam! _Yeah, Jason just slammed the door shut.

"Oh I think he does hon," Kevin says. "I think he does."

I have my arms crossed and I'm nodding my head. "Yeah I'm pretty sure that was Jason being serious and meaning it."

Paige rolls her eyes and now she's leaving the room with Robbie right behind her. I turn back to the computer. I press the button on my cell phone ending the recording.

"You recorded that whole thing?" Kevin asks me.

I nod my head. "Sometimes to be a good friend you have to do a bad thing. I'll talk to you later Kev."

I press the end call button on the screen. I sigh, because what I'm about to do totally goes against what I stand for but I have to do what has to be done. I open my phone and dial a number that took fifty calls to get.

"Hello?" he answers the phone.

"Hi, is this Perez Hilton?" I ask.

"Depends, who is this and how'd you get my number?" Wow, he's one of those mean gay men.

"Listen dude I'm calling you because I have some pretty hot gossip for you."

"Go on…"

"In about two minutes I'm going to send you two recordings of Paige Michalchuk acting like a total diva and ruining _Mewsical High_ without it even starting."

"…Ok, I'm interested."

Sometimes to do some good you have to do some bad.

**Later:  
**Beth finally called me and told me that they found Ellie. Alex and Beth are on their way back to the mansion right now while Marco stays at Craig's place over night to make sure Ellie is ok. I'm so happy they found her and she didn't do anything stupid. I'm sitting in my room surfing the net and let's just say Perez Hilton is really fast.

"Hey," I hear a voice.

I look up and Alex and Beth are standing in the doorway. I get up from the bed and hug both of them. Now I'm a little wet because they're wet. Wait, why are they wet?

"How's Ellie?" I ask.

"We found her out in the water," Alex says. "She just kept walking further and further. I don't know what she would have done if we hadn't gotten there in time."

I give Alex another hug. "It's ok because you did get there in time."

I turn my attention to Beth. Out of Alex, Ellie, me, and her, Beth is the only one who's had a stable home life her whole entire life so I know this event probably has her shaken up a bit. I place my hands on Beth's face.

"How are you?" I ask her. "Are you ok?"

Beth is nodding her head. "I'm fine, I'm fine. I'm just really happy Ellie is ok."

I kiss her on the forehead. "Good. So I have something I have to show you two."

I walk over to my laptop and show Alex and Beth Perez's page. They both gasp. Well Beth gasps louder. On Perez's page is a picture of Paige with the words Diva Bitch written across her forehead with horns sticking out and the title of the article is Unknown Goes Back to Being Unknown. Then the article goes on to say how Perez has a source that says Paige got _Mewsical High_ cancelled.

"Jordan…" Beth starts. "Did you do this?"

Alex and Beth are both looking at me. "Paige had to be knocked of her high horse," I tell them. "This was the only way to do it. Now we just hope that this article does the damage that I need it to do."

Alex has her fist out. I pound it with my fist. "I'm all for knocking Queen Bitch off her high horse."

"Now it's just time to wait."

The Perez article did the damage I hoped it would. Paige tried looking for new directors for the film but of course no one wants to work with her. Let's just say I also leaked her screen test and no Hollywood director wants to work with an actress that can't act and has a bad attitude. Let's just say when I knock someone off of their horse I knock them off hard.

Beth and I are packing our stuff up right now. We and Alex decided that we're going to go stay in a hotel for the rest of our stay. We leave tomorrow night and Alex is just tired of seeing Paige, although she's not talking to her. Marco is leaving to go back to TO today. Paige just pissed him off to the extreme.

While Beth finishes up packing I go downstairs. Marco is standing in the foyer right in front of the living room entrance with his suitcase. I go to stand beside him. Ew Hailey is here and she and Paige have people doing their feet right now, and they're wearing pink robes double ew.

"What's going on?" I ask Marco.

"Paige is trying to figure out some stupid way to get back into the spot light."

"A commando shot, that'll do it," Paige says. What the fuck.

"Good one," Hailey says as if it's the best idea in the whole world.

"This is what you want to be famous for?" Marco asks disappointed. "Flashing your business all around town?" Hailey and Paige are looking at Marco and me now.

"Uh, I don't know Marco," Paige says. "What are you famous for? Oh, that's right, nothing." Hailey and Paige start laughing.

"Bitch, you're not even famous," I mutter so only Marco can hear me.

"I was happy for you when you got this gig," Marco tells Paige. "Ya know I thought 'hey, you'd finally grow up'. But I was wrong."

Paige gets up from the couch and she has her Queen-Bitch face on and she's walking toward us. "Ya know what would be really nice, if you had the guts to actually do something with your own life instead of just whining and judging everyone else." Paige turns her attention to me. "And you Jordan! You just judge everyone and give them shitty advice that you don't even follow."

I ball my hands into fists. Don't hit her Jordan, don't hit her. Violence is never the answer.

"Wow!" Marco exclaims in disbelief. "You are still the same insecure little girl that you've always been."

That's right Marco! You tell her!

_SMACK!_

Holy fuck! Oh my God! Paige just smacked Marco, hard. His head moved and everything. I had to wince because that seems like it really hurt. Marco is looking at Paige, not believing what she just did and Paige is still holding her Queen-Bitch face. Marco's face breaks and he grabs his suitcase and now he's walking away. Marco walks out of the mansion without saying anything else.

I turn back to Paige. "How are you," I say. Paige looks at me. "What the fuck is your problem. That was Marco! MARCO YOU'RE BEST FRIEND! The guy who has ALWAYS been there for you. How could you just do that?"

Paige is shaking her head. "You just don't understand Jordan," she says coldly.

"Understand? Understand what? How you can be such a bitch? How you can just treat your friends like shit and act like you're the Queen of the world? You're right I don't understand. I don't understand how someone can be such a heartless cold cunt."

Now I've been playing sports since I was about three and I have pretty fast reflexes. That means that sometimes I can see things happen in slow motion if I focus and what I see right now is Paige's hand about to hit my face. I grab her wrist, stopping her hand a few centimeters away from my face. Paige gasps.

"You really think I'd let you slap me?" I ask her. I laugh bitterly. "I should hit you right now Paige Michalchuk. Shit, I should kick your ass but I'm not and you want to know why?" I lean in to whisper in Paige's ear. "Because I'm better than that and right now I'm better than you."

"Get out of my house," Paige says sternly.

I let go of Paige's wrist and start backing away from her. "Gladly," I tell her. "And by the way it's not even your house! It's the studio's!"

I run up the stairs and into the room Beth and I have been using.

"You done?" I ask Beth angrily.

"Jordan, what's wrong?" Beth looks scared.

"Paige just slapped Marco and then she tried to slap me!" Beth gasps. "Yeah, we need to get out of this house now because I beat her to a pulp."

Beth grabs out suitcase while I grab the bags. I walk to Alex's room and open her door.

"Come on," I tell her. "We're leaving now."

"Dude, what's wrong?" Alex can always tell when there's something wrong with me.

"Paige slapped Marco and then tried to slap me. Let's go NOW!"

Alex grabs her stuff and follows me and Beth downstairs and out of the house. We practically throw our stuff into the limo and tell Paul to step on it. I only have one thing to say: Fuck Paige Michalchuk.

Alex, Beth, and I are just chillin in the hotel right now. Alex wanted to go back to the mansion and give Paige a piece of her mind but Beth was able to calm her down. I would have let Alex gone, at this point I'm so pissed off at Paige I really don't care what happens to her. She could break her leg right now and I would feel nothing.

"Jordan, where's my phone?" Alex asks. "Sage is probably worried sick. I haven't actually talked to her in like a week."

"It's in my suitcase," I tell her tiredly. I'm so ready to go back home tonight.

"No it's not," Alex says. "I just checked and it's not there."

Oh shit! I get off the couch quickly. "It's at Paige's," I tell her.

Alex seems really upset right now. "Jordan!" she yells. "What the fuck?"

"I'm sorry," I tell her. "I'll go and get it."

"I'm going with you."

Beth stands up. "Whoa, is it really wise for you two to go to Paige's?"

"I'm not going to do anything," I tell her. "But just in case you stay here, I don't want you to see my violent side."

"Jordan…"

"Trust me please," I tell Beth and kiss her on the cheek. Alex and I exit the room and get Paul to drive us to Paige's.

"**Paige's" Mansion:  
**Why is there a bus in front of the mansion? Wait… is that?

"Does that bus say Degrassi on it?" Alex asks.

We pull up in front of the house. We get out of the limo and I can hear people in the back in the pool. Alex and I both look at each other, both wondering what the hell is going on. We go to the back. There are kids in the pool. I don't know these kids. Wait, is that Peter Stone?

"Peter?" Peter looks up and sees me and Alex. He smiles and runs over to us.

"Hey!" he greets us excitedly. "What are you two doing here?"

"No, the question is what are YOU doing here?" Alex asks.

"The Stüdz came to be the band in Jason Mewes' movie."

"The who?" I ask.

""The Stüdz, my band," Peter says in a duh tone. "Hey guys!" he yells at the others. "Come over here!"

The other kids come over to where Alex and I are standing. Oh my God, is that little Danny Van Zandt?

"Jordan, Alex?" Danny asks as if he can't believe it's us.

"Oh my God!" I exclaim. "Little Danny is all grown up!" Danny and I hug. "And is very muscular."

Danny flexes his arm. "Yeah, well I play football now."

"When the hell did Degrassi get a football team?" Iask Alex.

Alex just shrugs her shoulders. Peter introduces us to Sav and Mia, two former Lakehurst kids. Apparently Mia was J.T. 's girlfriend before he died but now she's dating Peter, which is kind of interesting. We ask them what's with the bus and they say Manny and Jay are inside. Alex and I run inside and find Jay eating my cereal in the kitchen.

"Jay!" I yell. "You're always eating my stuff!"

Jay smiles his little evil smile and hugs me. "Well next time be here to claim it," he says.

Jay then sees Alex and they hug. I let them have their reunion and I go upstairs to find Alex's cell phone. Wait, why do I hear two voices from Paige's room. I walk to Paige's room. Is that Manny Santos?

"Manny?" I ask.

Manny looks at me and smiles. She walks over to me and we hug. "How are you Jordan?" she asks me.

"I'm good. Oh my God, you're finally got here!"

Manny is nodding her head. "Yeah but a bit too late."

I notice Paige sitting in bed with a leg brace on. Oh this is just way too good and funny. "Did Manny drop you on the ground again?" I ask, thinking back to junior year. "Or did karma come and get you?" I ask.

"Karma came and it knocked me right off my high horse," Paige answers. "Can't say I didn't deserve it"

"You got that right," I tell her.

"Which is why I want to make it up," Paige says sincerely. "Can you get the bus onto the studio lot?"

I raise an eyebrow. "I can try. Why?"

Paige smiles. "Because I have a plan."

**Studio Lot:  
**I enter Jason's office and he's packing up.

Jason sees me. "Good you can help," he says.

"Dude…" I start.

"Jason please!" Robbie comes bursting into the room pleading.

"No Robbie," Jason says sternly. "How many times do I have to tell you?" Jason takes down the _Jay and Silent Bob Go Candian, Eh!_ movie poster.

"So meet me halfway," Robbie pleads. "The studio is really hot on your story and you directing it."

" Look, this isn't just a movie dude," Jason tells Robbie. "It's the story of my life. And you messing it up, I'm not interested."

"I need you! You…complete me."

I look at Robbie and raise an eyebrow. "Really Jerry McGuire?"

Robbie ignores me. "I even found you a new Trixie," he tells Jason. The reality star, Hailey something. Can't sing worth a damn, but if we dub her voice we'll get big bang for The Shores' fans."

You can by Jason's face he thinks that's a worse idea than having Paige play Trixie. Speaking of Paige here she comes, hopping in.

"You've gotten be kidding me," Jason says, referring back to Robbie's HORRIBLE idea.

"You need to go to the window," Paige tells Jason.

Jason points at Paige. "Eh you want to bring her back to man?" Jason asks in disbelief. "Give it up suit man!"

"What are you doing here?" Robbie asks Paige.

"Guys, I'm not here about me," Paige says. "Just… You need to come to the window, now!"

Paige pushes the blinds away and you can hear music.

"Seriously dude, go to the window," I tell Jason.

Jason and I walk over to the window. Jason smiles at the sight before him. Manny and crew standing on top of the bus rocking out.

"Trust me Robbie, you're gonna want to see this," Jason tells Robbie.

Robbie stands beside us and I can see a smile on his face as well. Jay is on the ground playing drums and Manny is just rocking out, showing her stuff.

"That's my Manny," Jason says. "You do this?" he asks Paige.

"Trying to get at least one thing right," Paige says. She looks over at me but I just turn my head.

"Look, I'll do the movie if my Manny here is Trixie," Jason tells Robbie.

Robbie smiles and clasps his hand on Jason's shoulder. "Looks like we're back in business Mewes."

" Hey Manny!" Jason yells out the window. "You're Trixie!"

"I-I got the part?" Manny asks, not believing it.

"You are the part!"

Manny smiles and finishes her song. I guess Paige did do one thing right after all.

**Later, at the Airport**:  
Paul is dropping us off and I have to say I'm kind of sad to say goodbye to him. Beth and I hug Paul goodbye and Alex and Paul just shake hands.

I give Paul a business card. "Call Jason Mewes and he should be able to help you out."

Paul's eyes shine. "How'd you know I wanted to act?"

I shrug my shoulders. "A good looking guy like you? Either you want to act or be a model. Either way call Jason."

Paul gives me a bigger hug. "I appreciate it Jordan," he says sincerely.

"No problem dude."

Alex, Beth, and I have our tickets and are about to get in line for security.

"I am so ready to go home to TO," I say exhausted.

"Who knew I'd miss the cold so much," Alex says.

"When we get home we can snuggle up together to keep each other warm," Beth whispers in my ear.

I smile, loving the idea. "With hot cocoa?" I ask.

"Of course," she answers and kisses me on the cheek.

"Ew, you two are disgustingly cute," Alex says.

Beth and I just laugh and we get in line for security.

"Wait!" I hear someone yell. I turned around and… Oh my God. It's Paige, hopping toward us with the help of her crutches. It's sort of a weird sight.

"Ugh," Alex groans. "What does she want now?"

I drop my bag on the floor. "I'll be right back," I tell them.

I walk over to Paige with my arms across my chest. Paige is breathing heavily; you'd think she just ran a marathon or something.

"I thought I was going to miss you guys," she says in between breaths. "L.A. traffic is horrible!"

"What do you want Paige?" I ask her with no hint of kindness in my voice.

"Hon, I know I'm probably way too late for this but I'm sorry," she says sincerely.

"Contrary to popular belief sorry doesn't always make things better. You said some really hurtful things to not only me but also to Alex. And then you slapped Marco and tried to slap me. Why should I even forgive you?"

Paige looks at me and I see something I haven't seen since I've gotten to L.A. and that's the real Paige Michalchuk. "Because you're Jordan and I'm Paige," she says simply. "Because your heart is so big and open that you forgive people when they mess up, which I happen to do a lot lately."

"The things you said to me really hurt."

"I know and I know I can't take those things back but I know you know that wasn't the real me saying those things. It was Hollywood Queen Bitch Paige saying those things."

I sigh. "I can only forgive but so many times Paige. Sooner or later you will cut that last strand your hanging on to."

"I hope to never cut that strand hon."

I turn around and look back at Alex and Beth. I turn back to look at Paige. "Alex isn't going to forgive you so easily. I don't think she'll ever forgive you. Yeah the things you said to me were mean but the things you said to Alex were horrible and completely out of line."

"I know," Paige says and her voice cracks. Oh my God, Paige is about to cry. "Hon you don't know how badly I wish I could go back in time and stop myself from saying those things to Alex. And I know it's going to be a long time till she forgives me but I just hope she can find it in her heart somewhere to let me back into her life." A tear falls down Paige's cheek.

"She's not going to talk to you," I tell Paige. "She's so mad and hurt, not even I would be able to convince her to talk to you."

Paige is nodding her head. "I know which is why I thought you could give her this." Paige hands me an envelope with Alex's name written on it. "Please tell her to read this for me hon. And tell her that I meant it when I told her that I still care aboot her."

"Ok Paige," I tell her and take the envelope. "I guess I'll see you when I see you."

Paige nods her head. "Bye Jordan," she says sadly.

I watch Paige turn around and hop away. I walk back over to Alex and Beth.

"What did she want?" Alex asks angrily.

I hand Alex the envelope and she just stares at it. "I know you're thinking about throwing it away," I tell her. "Just read it."

I pick up my bag and place my arm around Beth's waist. Alex, Beth, and I get in line for security.

"Let's go home," I tell them.

L.A.: the place where dreams are made of and where friendships are destroyed.

* * *

**A/N: What did you think? I'm glad to finally be out of Hollywood. Of course we're going to do another time jump =) Review please!**


	31. Meet the Parents

**A/N: So the reason why this is posted so late because I had to rewrite this a few times and I really had to think about what direction I wanted to go with this. Umm this is mostly about Alex and Sage's relationship but the next one will have Palex in it =) and good job to AllyK00 who guess the song title from last week's chapter correctly. Yellowcard is working on a new album =)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi or it's characters. Also this chapter does not have the intention of offending anyone who is Irish or Catholic =)  
**

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* * *

**Oh February, so close to March which means so close to Spring Break. Yeah it's February. After the whole L.A. disaster Alex, Beth, and I went home to spend the rest of our winter break with our families. Matisse is so big now. He still can't sit up by himself but I know he's at that stage where he recognizes familiar faces. He's also at that stage where he feels the need to put everything in his mouth and when I mean everything I mean EVERYTHING. He got my finger once when I wasn't paying attention. He also likes to make spit bubbles in his free time. That's Matisse for ya.

The rest of winter break went as well as it could. Of course there was this unspoken tension, anger, and heartbreak between all of us. None of us left L.A. undamaged. To my knowledge Paige tried calling Marco to apologize but he never picked up his phone. Ellie finally went to see her dad, which was a very good thing. I mentioned the note Paige gave to Alex once and I received a push into the wall for it while Alex received her cell phone taken away from her for a couple of hours. Alex spent a lot of break talking to Sage. I think what Paige said to her sort of made Alex question her feelings about Sage so I think Alex wanted to reinforce her feelings for Sage. But my thing is: if Paige made her question her feelings then maybe that means something. As for Beth and I, we pretty much spent our break together. When you and your significant other are seven hours away from each other for a majority of the year you tend to try to spend as much time together as you can while you're both in the same area.

Currently Alex and I are in our dorm room, doing homework as usual. I'm working on communication stuff while Alex is working on physics.

"I seriously don't think I need to know all these communication theories to be a radio DJ," I say out loud.

"Well why do I need to learn how to calculate the velocity of a rubber ball if I'm going to be a physiotherapist?" Alex asks.

"Because that's science and medicine is science."

"Exactly."

Wait, what? "What?"

"Everything is related to each other in some form and way," Alex says.

I raise my eyebrow. "I can't wait for this semester to be over so I don't have to listen to your philosophy mumbo gumbo anymore."

Alex just smiles at me. "Isn't college grand?" she asks and grins.

I just shake my head and roll my eyes.

_Knock, knock, knock… knock, knock._

That's Sage knocking. How do I know this? Because Sage does a special knock to let us know it's her. I turn to look at Alex and she has a huge smile on her face. Ugh, I know I'm going to puke soon. Sage and Alex take couple cuteness to whole different sickening level. Alex hops off her bed and kind of bounces to the door. This version of Alex always kind of creeps me out. She opens the door and there's Sage. They hug and kiss and now not only do I feel sick I also feel very angry and jealous because they're couple action just remind me how much I miss Beth.

"Hey Jordan," Sage greets me.

"Yo," I respond, still focusing on my homework.

"So Lexie, I was wondering if you had any plans for this Spring Break," Sage asks Alex.

"What are we doing for Spring Break this year?" she asks, I'm assuming, me.

"After the disastrous winter break we had in L.A. I was planning on going to the grandparents' house for Spring Break," I tell them.

"Well Alex I was thinking if you didn't have any plans you could come down to Miami with me and meet my parents."

Whoa! Hold up! I quickly turn my chair and look at Alex and Sage. I start laughing. Haha! Alex's face is hilarious right now. She seems surprised, shocked, nauseated, anxious, and scared all roll up into one. Alex keeps closing and opening her mouth like a fish out of water. She's speechless and I'm laughing.

"I um…" Alex starts. "I-I…"

Sage sees Alex struggling and I'm pretty sure she understands. "It's ok," Sage tells Alex. "Maybe it's too soon."

"No!" Alex says quickly. "It's not that it's just. Parents don't always like me."

"Well my parents would like to meet you."

"Really?" Alex asks in disbelief. Sage nods her head. "Well in that case… Yeah sure, let's do it." Alex is looking at me now. "You're coming too," she says.

I'm shaking my head no. "Nu-uh," I tell her. "Sage's parents didn't ask to meet me."

"There's no way I'm going to go to Miami for Spring Break and leave you here by yourself. Besides you'll be able to see Beth while we're down there."

"Yeah except for the fact that Beth will still have classes and she works during the week."

"And you don't think Beth won't take off of work for a week to hang out with her girlfriend that she's crazy about? Come on Jordan, think."

I stand up. "Ok fine let's say we do go down there. How exactly do we get down there? Getting tickets now would be very expensive and I doubt Mom and Dad will pay for us to fly down to Miami and go college wild."

"We can borrow the car Grandma and Grandpa lets us use to get around Tallahassee," Alex answers. "Besides think about how happy Beth will be to see her girlfriend drove seven hours to spend spring break with her. And maybe you can talk to her roommate about giving you two some alone time."

Wow, when she puts it that way. I mean Beth and I didn't get to see each other over Valentine's Day, which just happened to be the very first Valentine's Day we were an actual couple. Maybe this year Spring Break won't be so bad.

I shrug my shoulders. "Ok, I'm in."

Sage claps her hands. "Yes!" she cheers. "This is so exciting. Jordan, maybe my parents will want to meet you too."

My face drops. Oh fuck.

**Spring Break:  
**I've done road trips before. Alex and I took road trips back in Canada and they weren't bad. I mean when we do our road trips back at home they're fun and we take turns driving. But when we do road trips here, not so fun because someone still doesn't have a license to drive in this country. That's right; I had to drive all seven hours myself. My butt hurts, my foot hurts, and I have major road rage right now.

I finally pull up to the hotel that Alex and I will be staying in for the next week. We both agreed that staying at Sage's place would just be too weird since her parents would also be there. We decided to stay at the Residence Inn because it's part of the Marriott Hotels family and it just so happens that both Mom and Brian have Marriott Rewards cards so we got a discount on the room. Alex and I get to our room and I collapse onto the bed.

"So tired," I groan.

"Me too."

I raise my head up and look over at her. "You didn't even do anything!" I yell. "I'm the one that had to drive seven hours! My foot and butt are cramped! The people in the lobby downstairs were looking at me funny cause I was walking like I was in pain, which I am!"

"No one told you to drive all seven hours," Alex says bluntly.

"Well unless you magically got a drivers license yesterday the law says I had to drive all seven hours."

"Oh when it comes to letting someone drive you listen to the law but not when it comes to drinking or speeding," Alex is nodding her head. "You're such a law-binding citizen Jordan Johnson."

I roll my eyes. "When are you suppose to meet up with Sage?" I ask her.

"She's coming by this afternoon."

"When do you meet the parents?"

"I'm not meeting them till Wednesday night."

"Oo why wait so long? Why not just meet them tonight?"

"You're not funny," Alex deadpans. "Shouldn't you be on your way to Beth's?"

"I'm waiting for her roommate to call me. I'm going to surprise her but I gotta get the go-ahead from Juliana."

_Shawty got them Apple Bottom jeans, jeans. Boots with the fur, with the fur._

Alex is giving me a weird look with a raised eyebrow.

"Don't judge my ringtone," I tell her seriously. I answer my phone. "Hello?"

"Hey Jordan, this is Juliana," Juliana greets me.

"Hey! What's up?"

"Just figured I'd call you to tell you that you can come over now."

"Thanks see ya in a few." I close my phone and look over at Alex and smile.

"Well obviously you're about to leave which is good for me because that means MY girlfriend gets to come over," Alex smirks.

I roll my eyes. "Please be clothed when I get back."

"If you come back."

"Oo true, very true." Alex and I pound fists. "Remember, no glove no love."

Alex is shaking her head at me. "Four years of knowing you and I still don't think you're funny."

I shrug my shoulders. "You're laughing on the inside." Alex is still shaking her head. I chuckle and leave the hotel room. Time to see my woman.

**University of Miami:  
**I am so excited right now. I can't stop smiling and my hands are shaking with excitement. I haven't seen Beth since winter break and I'm just so damn excited. I'm walking to her dorm building right now with a rose in my hand. Juliana, Beth's roommate, is suppose to meet me right outside so she let me into the building. Whew, I have to calm myself down. I see someone standing right outside of the building. The girl looks Hispanic but I don't want to say it's Juliana because that would be kind of racist of me. I approach the girl.

"Um hi," I greet her nervously. "Are you Juliana?"

The girl smiles at me. "I don't even have to ask to know that you're Jordan," she says. "I've seen enough pictures of you to know what you look like." Juliana walks up to me and gives me a big hug and kisses me on both my cheeks. "Hola!"

I'm sort of taken aback from the kisses on the cheek. "Hi."

"You're dating Beth and her parents never greeted you with kisses on the cheeks?" she asks with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah her mom did it once and I was taken aback when she did it as well."

"Well you might want to get use to that. Latino families love being affectionate."

I nod my head. "Good to know."

Juliana swipes her card and holds the door open for me. I thank her and walk inside. Juliana swipes her card at the elevator and the elevator doors open for me.

"It's room 302," Juliana tells me. "And just so you know, I'm staying at my grandparents' house this weekend so the room is all yours." She winks at me.

I smile and laugh nervously. "Uh thanks, I appreciate it."

"Have fun," she sings as the elevator doors close.

Third floor, third floor, room 302. I take a deep breath and exhale it. Why am I so nervous? I mean this is my girlfriend I'm seeing, not some random girl I've never met before. The elevator dings telling me I've reached my wanted floor. I step out of the elevator and turn left. Alright wrong way, I walk back the other way. There it is room 302. Check the breath. Smells fruity, thank you Trident gum for that. Got the red rose, her favorite flower. I'm ready.

_Knock, knock._

The door opens and I know I'm wearing the biggest smile on my face right now.

"Hel-." Beth stops short of her greeting and her jaw has dropped. She can't believe I'm here right now. "You're here," she says.

I open my arms. "I'm here," I say simply.

Omph! Beth just literally knocked the wind out of me. I'm up against the wall with Beth's legs and arms wrapped around me and he face buried in my shoulder. I have my arms wrapped around her, holding her up. Thank God for upper body strength or else we both would have fallen to the floor by now. I

"I can't believe you're here!" Beth practically squeals. Beth pulls slightly away to look at me. "I've missed you so much."

Mmm, kisses. I forgot how much I miss Beth kisses. I'm trying to focus on holding her up and kissing her at the same time but kissing Beth usually makes me forget about other things. I pull away needing air and we're pretty much putting on a show for anyone who happens to walk out into the hallway.

"We should go into your room before we put on a NC-17 show out in your hallway," I tell her.

Beth hops down, grabs my hand, and pulls me into her room. Wow, I don't even have to ask Beth which side is hers. On the left side of the room are four giant flags hanging on the wall; Ireland, Mexico, Canada, and Venezuela. My girl is proud of her heritage and where she comes from. Above her desk is a collage of pictures of her and me at various places from various times. I walk over to her desk and there are tons of pictures of her family and friends. There's also a picture of us at the beach in a frame.

"I love your side of the room," I tell her.

Beth smiles. "Good."

Oh yeah the rose. I hand Beth a rose. "A red rose for my love."

Beth takes the rose from me and smells it. "You're so romantic," she says. "Cheesy yet romantic."

Beth places the rose on her nightstand next to a vase that has a dozen of dead red roses in them. Don't worry, those roses were alive at one point. On Valentine's Day I sent Beth a dozen red roses and a giant Teddy Bear, which is currently sitting on top of her bed.

Beth walks over to me and wraps her arms around me and holds me close. "I've missed you so much," she whispers.

I wrap my arms around her. "I've missed you too."

"It sucked, not being able to be with you on our first Valentine's Day together."

"I know I know. I'm sorry I couldn't come down here. I had a stupid communication project I had to do."

Beth is shaking her head. "It doesn't matter because you're here now."

Beth pulls away slightly and looks up at me with a questioning look on her face. "What are you doing here?" she asks. "And why didn't you tell me you were coming?"

"Number one, I'm here to spend Spring Break with my amazing girlfriend. Number two, I didn't tell you because I wanted it to be a surprise." I smile. "Surprise!"

"Did Juliana know you were coming?"

"Well who else do you think told me what building you lived in and got me in?"

Beth is nodding her head. "That would explain why she told me to take this upcoming week off and decided to go to her abuela's this weekend. Is Alex is Miami as well?"

I nod my head yes. "Alex is meeting Sage's parents this week."

Beth raises her eyebrows. "Really now?" she asks.

I'm nodding my head. "Yep," I answer. "So while Alex is off trying to woo Sage's parents I get to spend time with my girlfriend."

"I like the sound of that." Beth leans in and I follow suit. Gotta love getting kisses.

**Wednesday:  
**It's Wednesday afternoon and Alex, Beth, and I are in the hotel room relaxing. Well Beth and I are relaxing while Alex is sort of freaking out. You see Alex is meeting Sage's parents tonight so she's kind of nervous.

"Why are you so nervous?" Beth asks Alex.

"Sage's parents are rich," Alex starts. "They're going to take one look at me and be able to tell that I'm trailer park trash."

"You never actually quite lived in a trailer," I tell Alex. "Just a pretty crappy apartment."

Ow! Beth just elbowed me in my ribs, hard.

"Alex, don't think about the amount of money they have," Beth tells Alex. "Sage's parents are going to love you regardless of the amount of money you come from."

I scoff. "Maybe they would love Alex is she was a he," I tell Beth. "Her parents aren't exactly yay gay."

"Why do you say that?"

"Sage's last name is Kerrigan. Sage's parents are Irish Catholic."

Beth shrugs her shoulders. "And?"

"Hon, the Catholics aren't exactly the biggest fans of the gays."

Beth raises her eyebrow. "Hello I'm Hispanic, Irish, and Catholic, so are my parents and they're ok with me dating girls."

"Maybe Beth is right," Alex says nervously yet in a hopeful tone. "Maybe her parents will be like Beth's."

I stand up from my seat. "Text Sage and ask her who her parents voted for in the last election."

Alex gets out her phone and texts Sage. I can't wait to see what it says. _Ding! _Alex opens up her phone and checks.

"She says her parents voted for Bush in the last election."

Beth and I both whistle. Alex looks at us with a questioning look on her face.

"What?" Alex asks.

"Her parents are conservative," I tell her.

"And? The conservatives back home aren't bad. Most of them even voted for Gay Marriage."

I walk over to Alex. "Dude there is a HUGE difference between American Conservatives and Canadian Conservatives. Canadian Conservatives are like American Liberals. Bush, the conservative dude her parents voted for, tried to pass an amendment to ban gay marriage in the U.S. You're screwed."

Alex looks completely terrified. Ok, maybe I scared her a little too much.

_You're the one that I want,(you are the one i want), o,o, oo, honey._

Nope that's not my phone. That's actually Alex's phone and that's Sage's ringtone. Yeah, I think it's cheesy as well but whatever.

"Really that's your ringtone?" Beth asks Alex.

I walk over to Beth and give her a kiss. Oh how I love my girlfriend and her comments on Alex's ringtone.

"Sage likes _Grease_," Alex answers. "Jeez." Alex answers her phone. "Hey, what's up?"

Sage is telling Alex something on the other end. Maybe dinner was cancelled. A smile is starting to form on Alex's face. Maybe dinner really is cancelled. Wait, why is she looking over at Beth and me? Wait, that's not a good smile!

"They would love to," Alex says into the phone.

I stand up quickly and run over to Alex. "We'd love to what?" I ask in a whisper. "What would we love to do?"

"Yeah I have the directions," Alex says into the phone. "We'll see you at eight, bye." Alex closes her phone.

Uh-oh I'm not liking the look Alex is giving me. Oh God please no.

"Please tell me no."

Alex crosses her arms, raises her eyebrow, and is now smirking at me. I can't believe this.

I turn around and look at Beth. "We're screwed," I tell her.

**The Kerrigans' House:  
**I can't believe this. I can't believe this has fucking happened. I can't believe that Alex was effin prepared for this. Alex actually packed my khaki dress pants and my black New York and Company button down dress shirt. Ugh, I hate her and I dislike the Kerrigan's greatly right now. Right now Alex, Beth, and I are standing in front of the Kerrigan's house.

"I hate you so much," I tell Alex without even looking at her.

"If I have to do this you have to do it too," she says.

I turn my head and look at her. Alex just so happens to be wearing the red dress Paige gave her. Anyone else find it weird or ironic that she's wearing the dress her ex gave her to meet the parents of her current? I told Alex that dress was too dressy but she said she wanted to look really nice for Sage's parents. She's also wearing her signature hoop earrings.

"But I'm not dating Sage," I tell Alex. "YOU are."

"Maybe this won't be so bad," Beth says in a hopeful tone.

Alex and I turn our heads and look at her with looks they say "Are you effin crazy?". My darling Beth looks amazing as usual. She's wearing a black Marilyn sleeveless dress that hits right below the knees with black heels. Now that I've actually studied what Alex and Beth are wearing I feel a little underdressed.

I nudge Alex's side. "Ring the doorbell," I tell her.

Alex is shaking her head. "I don't think I can," she says nervously.

"What happened to bad ass Alex Nuñez'?"

"She left the moment her girlfriend told her she had to meet her conservative Catholic parents who probably dislike gay people which mean they probably hate the fact that I'm dating their daughter."

The door suddenly opens and Sage is standing in front of us in a really nice blue spaghetti strap sundress. Now that I see what Sage is wearing I don't feel bad about what I'm wearing.

"You guys look like creepers by just standing out here," Sage tells us. "Come on in!" she insists.

We enter the house and… Wow! And I thought my house was nice and that my parents had money but… wow! Her parents are like filthy rich. There are paintings and sculptures everywhere.

"I thought your dad own car dealerships," I whisper to Sage.

"Daddy does own car dealerships," Sage tells us. "This house use to belong to my grandfather who worked for a very accomplished law firm."

My eyes widen, oh my God. "You mean to tell me your grandfather is the guy from Kerrigan, Martinez, and Romano law firm?"

Sage is nodding her head. "My grandfather founded the firm and now my uncle Patrick is one of the partner's now that Grandpa Kerrigan has passed."

"Oh my God, I remember those commercials as a kid. They played them all the way up in Tampa."

Sage smiles. "Yep, the law firm has different branches all over Florida." Sage continues leading us into a different room.

"Yeah you should be very worried now," I whisper to Alex.

I literally just heard Alex gulp. She's not the only one that's scared though. I am deathly afraid now.

Sage directs us into what I'm assuming is the living room. Wow, the foyer impressed me and this living room just triple impresses me. There's this magnificent fireplace and over the fireplace is a picture of Sage, her parents, and I'm assuming the boy with them is her brother. I do remember at one point Sage telling Alex and me about her older brother who is in medical school to become a heart surgeon. Her family is like one of those American Dream and beyond families. I just notice two people sitting, well now standing, and I'm going to go ahead and say those are Sage's parents. Her father is a tall well built man with brown short hair that looks like it's thinning. He's wearing a khaki pants with a black vest over a peach striped button down shirt with a glass of, what I'm assuming is, whiskey in his hand. Mrs. Kerrigan seems to be about three inches shorter than me (which would make her 5'3''), medium length blonde hair and she's giving us a nice warm smile. She's wearing a white sleeveless solid layering tank top with a black belted pencil skirt.

We're walking closer and closer to them and I'm getting more nervous with each step. I don't know why I'm so nervous; this is all about Alex meeting them anyway. I'm just here by some twisted form of fate. We've finally reached Sage's parents.

"Mom, Dad, this is Jordan and Beth," Sage introduces us.

"Hi Mr. and Mrs. Kerrigan, it's very nice to meet you," I greet them and shake both of their hands.

"It's very nice to meet you Jordan," Mrs. Kerrigan greets me happily.

"Likewise," Mr. Kerrigan greets me. Wow, his voice is deeper than I thought it was going to be.

"Hi," Beth greets them and shakes both of their hands.

"And this," Sage takes Alex's hand into her own. "Is Alex."

Alex smiles nervously. "Hi Mr. and Mrs. Kerrigan, it's a pleasure meeting you," Alex says nervously and shakes both of their hands.

"It's nice meeting you Alex," Mrs. Kerrigan says.

"Nice to meet you," Mr. Kerrigan says.

"Well dinner isn't quite read so why don't we all sit in here and get to know one another?" Mrs. Kerrigan suggests.

Mr. Kerrigan and Mrs. Kerrigan sit in their separate armchairs while Alex and Sage sit on one couch and Beth and I sit on the other couch.

"So Jordan, Beth I'm so glad you two could make it to dinner," Mrs. Kerrigan says. "We know it was a bit last minutes but Sage didn't tell us Alex's sister was also in town."

"Thank you very much for inviting us Mrs. Kerrigan," I thank her. "Your house is very beautiful."

"This house belonged to my father," Mr. Kerrigan tells us. "My father, Cavin Kerrigan, and his brother, Malvin Kerrigan, built this house with their bare hands. You see the Kerrigans are hard working people. My grandfather, Cathal Kerrigan, immigrated to this country from Cavan, Ireland and worked his whole adult life in a plane building factory to provide for his family and then my father studied hard in school and got accepted to Harvard Law School and became a very well known very smart, powerful lawyer. And now my two children Connor and Sage are continuing that legacy of being hard workers." Mr. Kerrigan looks over at Sage and smiles but his eyes aren't smiling.

"Daddy you always tell that story to everyone who comes to the house," Sage says.

"It's a very good story," Mr. Kerrigan says and leans back in his arm chair with his hands together in his lap.

"So Beth dear, I understand you go to school down here at UM?" Mrs. Kerrigan asks Beth.

Beth is nodding her head. "Yes ma'am. I'm a sophomore at UM."

"What are you majoring in?"

"I'm in the pre-veterinary medicine program," Beth says proudly.

"Wow," Mrs. Kerrigan says impressed. "Veterinary medicine programs are very competitive."

Beth is nodding her head. "Yes they are. That's why I've put my studies first and I've already started volunteering at animal shelters."

Mrs. Kerrigan is nodding her head like she approves then she turns toward me. Oh shit.

"And what about you Jordan?"

"I am a Communications major," I tell her.

"And what are you going to do with that?" Mr. Kerrigan asks me.

"I'm going to work in radio," I tell him confidently. "I'm going to have my own nationally syndicated radio show."

"That's a big dream."

"Dream big or go home." I look him straight in the eyes. If I show no fear then maybe he'll back down.

Mr. Kerrigan raises his glass to me. "Good motto," he says and takes a sip from his glass.

"Dinner is ready," a maid announces.

Wait, they have a maid? Oh my God. We all get up from our seats and go into the dining room. Of course their dining room is also huge. I look up and yep, there's a huge crystal chandelier.

Mr. and Mrs. Kerrigan take their seats, each at opposite heads of the table. Alex and Sage sit on one side with Alex by Mrs. Kerrigan and Sage by her father while Beth and I sit on the other side with Beth beside Mrs. Kerrigan and me by Mr. Kerrigan. The maid brings out salad for us first. Ugh, I hate salad. Now I'm going to seem rude by picking at my food, damn.

"So Alex," Mr. Kerrigan starts. "Sage tells me you want to become a physiotherapist. My son is at John Hopkins Medical School to become a surgeon. Do you know where you would like to obtain your post-baccalaureate degree at?"

Alex's eyes widen a bit. "Um I'm not entirely sure at the moment."

"Well shouldn't you have a plan? I mean if you're not sure about what school you want to go to in the future then how are you sure on anything else?"

Whoa, whoa, whoa. I look at Alex and you can see the wheels churning in her head.

"Well sir when I meant that I wasn't sure I meant that I'm not sure which prestigious school I will attend since I have a lot of options," Alex says. There's the confident Alex Nuñez I know.

Mr. Kerrigan is nodding his head. "I see, and what makes you think you have all these options to attend prestigious schools?"

"Daddy," Sage says in a warning tone through clenched teeth.

"I'm a hard worker and my grades are very good, I'm not worried," Alex tells Mr. Kerrigan confidently.

"And how exactly do you plan on paying for these schools?" Mr. Kerrigan asks. "Having a lot of student loans isn't good." Wow, this guy…

"Our parents are paying for our schooling," I answer quickly. Mr. Kerrigan looks over at me. "Our parents pay for our schooling as long as we maintain a 3.0 GPA and Alex earned a good number of scholarships this year so the money our parents didn't have to use this year will be put towards Alex's medical school."

Mr. Kerrigan is nodding his head. "That's right, you two are sisters, I forgot because, in no disrespect, you two don't look very much alike. You don't even have the same last names."

Did this dude do like a background check on us or something? "Alex is adopted," I tell him. "My parents adopted her and she's part of the family. We also have a younger brother."

"Is he adopted as well?"

"Why?" Alex asks. "Would it matter?"

Mr. Kerrigan puts his hands up in surrender. "I'm just trying to find out a little more about the family of my daughter's girlfriend. You can't blame a father for being interested in his own daughter's life." Mr. Kerrigan looks over at Beth. "What about you Beth?" he asks her. "Tell us a little about your family."

Uh-oh, Beth's turn. I take her hand in mine and squeeze it gently, a signal telling her to stay strong.

"Well my father is half Irish and half Mexican while my mother is Venezuelan. My father is an accountant and my mother is a nurse and I have a younger brother."

"Your father is half Irish you say?" Mr. Kerrigan asks Beth, sounding really interested.

Beth is nodding her head. "My grandmother on my father's side is Irish. Her maiden name is Sullivan. My grandparents both went to the same Catholic school in Calgary when they met and fell in love."

"And were their parents ok with them falling in love?"

A confused look appears on Beth's face. "Why wouldn't they be sir?" she asks.

"Well I'm not exactly sure how things work up there in Canada but I know down here people weren't 100% happy about members dating outside their own kind back in the day."

"Coyle," Mrs. Kerrigan calls out her husband's name in a warning tone.

"I'm not saying that I'm for segregation," he says quickly. "Of course not. I'm just saying that sometimes parents don't necessarily agree with the choices their children make when it comes to 'falling in love'."

I see Mr. Kerrigan's eyes move swiftly over to look at Sage. Sage looks embarrassed and quite upset right now.

"Well maybe these parents should just be happy that their children are happy," Sage says.

"Maybe these parents could be happy if they didn't feel that their children were making a mistake," Mr. Kerrigan says while looking at both Sage and Alex. Uh-oh.

"You can't help who you fall in love with Daddy," Sage says confidently.

"Beth may I ask you something?" Mr. Kerrigan asks.

"Um ok."

"Are your parents Catholic?"

Beth is nodding her head. "Yes they are," she answers. "They go to mass every Sunday."

"And they're ok with you dating Jordan?"

"Why wouldn't they be?" I ask immediately. I look at Mr. Kerrigan, challenging him.

"Well sure, being gay might be ok when you're in college," Mr. Kerrigan says. "Hell it seems that everyone is gay, bi, tri, whatever in college these days but what about when you get out in the real world? What will you tell people, that you're living with your girlfriend or 'partner'?"

I take Beth's hand in mine. "I'll tell people that I'm living with my **wife**."

Mr. Kerrigan laughs. "Gay marriage will never be legal in America, especially Florida. The Bible clearly states that marriage is between a man and a woman."

"But the Bible is wrong sometimes," Alex says.

Mr. Kerrigan looks over at Alex and raises his eyebrow. "Oh really now?" he asks.

"'_When a man strikes his slave, male or female, with a rod and the slave dies under his hand, he shall be avenged. But if the slave survives a day or two, he is not to be avenged, for the slave is his money_.' Exodus 21:20-21."

Beth and I look at each other asking the same thing: Alex knows bible verses?

"So should we go ahead and put Jordan back into slavery hit her with a rod and see if she survives a day or two?" Alex asks.

Mr. Kerrigan points his finger at Alex. "That is not the same thing. That part of the bible isn't 100% correct."

"But shouldn't the whole Bible either be 100% correct or not?" Alex asks. "You can't pick and choose."

"'_There shall be no whore of the daughters of Israel, nor a sodomite of the sons of Israel.' _Deuteronomy 23:1." Mr. Kerrigan cites.

"Coyle," Mrs. Kerrigan calls out her husband's name in a warning tone. "Do not call anyone a whore."

"All I'm saying is that there are specific verses that say homosexuality is wrong," Mr. Kerrigan states. He turns to Sage. "Now although I do not approve of this 'experimentation' I understand that it's college and kids experiment but do not think for one second that you can marry this girl or any other girl for that matter."

Ok so obviously we know how Mr. Kerrigan feels on homosexuality but what we don't know is Mrs. Kerrigan's point of view on the whole matter. Not like she's said much so far except for Mr. Kerrigan's name and to not call Sage a whore.

"Daddy, this is not an experiment," Sage tells Mr. Kerrigan. "This is who I am and you need to accept me for who I am."

"But it's not acceptable."

"You're my dad!" Sage yells. "You're supposed to love me no matter what!"

"And I do love you sweetie, I just don't love the choice you're making."

"Mom," Sage pleads to her mom.

"Honey you have to understand where we're coming from," Mrs. Kerrigan says. She looks over at Alex. "Alex, please don't misinterpret this as us not liking you because you seem like a very nice young lady." Mrs. Kerrigan looks over at Beth and me. "And you too seem very happy. It's just my husband and I don't think this is the life that our daughter should have. You understand of course?"

"No I don't understand," Alex says while shaking her head. "I don't understand why you don't want your daughter to have a happy life, to be with someone who truly cares about her." Alex is looking back and forth at Mr. and Mrs. Kerrigan. "I don't understand why you wouldn't want your daughter to be with someone who loves her."

WHOA! WAIT A MINUTE! Did Alex really say what she just said? I'm looking at everyone else and I think they're thinking the same thing I'm thinking.

Alex looks over at Sage. "I love you," she tells her. Alex looks back at Mr. and Mrs. Kerrigan. "Thank you for dinner, well for the salad, but unfortunately I can't stay. I love your daughter and no matter what you say or think that's not going to change." Alex kisses Sage on the cheek. "I'll call you later," Alex tells her and stands up from her seat.

Beth and I also stand up from our seats. "Thanks for dinner," Beth says nicely to the Kerrigans.

"Um, thanks for the salad I guess," I tell them. "Sorry I didn't eat it, I'm not big on salads but maybe next time we can have soup."

Beth pulls on my hand. "Come on you," she says.

Alex, Beth, and I walk out of the Kerrigans' house and to my car.

"Well that went better than I thought it would," I tell them. "Alex, how are you feeling?"

"I just told Sage that I love her, in front of her parents," Alex says, shocked.

"Yes, yes you did."

I pat Alex on the shoulder and we get into the car. I think this year's Spring Break might just have topped last year's.  


* * *

**A/N: damn Mr. Kerrigan sure knows how to get under my skin. please leave reviews =)**


	32. Happy Mother's Day

**A/N: Blame it on school, reports, family, and sickness BUT don't blame it on the alcohol. So this chapter didn't actually turn out to be a Palex chapter because I felt there was something that needed to be discussed but the next two chapters will be FULL of Palex goodness. My hope is to be done with this story by the end of this year and then I have a surprise for you guys =)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi or it's characters. But I do own Jordan =) among other things  
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**Did you know that May is my favorite month? Yep, it is. Not just because my birthday is in May but also because May brings warm weather, flowers, and the end of another school year. That's right! I'm free bitches! Well kind of free. Alex, Beth, and I just got done with our sophomore years of college. Well Beth and I did, Alex is about six credits short of becoming a junior which is why she will be VERY busy this year. Alex is taking classes at the local community college in T.O., after getting permission from FSU, and she's volunteering at the hospital Beth's mom works at. But Alex won't be the only busy one this summer. Beth is also volunteering at the local animal hospital this summer and Brian was able to get me an internship at 101.5, T.O. 's hottest radio station, at least that's what they say. Sure all I will be doing is getting coffee, bagels, and making sure that the cds are in order but everyone has to start out somewhere.

You're probably wondering what happened after that semi disastrous dinner at Sage's place. Well Alex and Sage are stronger than ever. I mean after Alex confessed her love for Sage and then stood up to her dad it sort of HAD to make their relationship stronger. They spent most of the semester attached to each other's hips, which was cute yet nauseating. I don't exactly know what happened at Sage's after that dinner, I'm a little too afraid to ask.

Neither Alex nor I have heard much from Paige. All I know is that she's been working hard as Jason Mewes' assistant and that Mewsical High is suppose to come out soon. Honestly I hope Paige is doing well and that she gets everything she hoped for.

So tomorrow is Mother's Day! Well actually last Sunday was Mother's Day but Alex and I weren't here so we're celebrating Mother's Day tomorrow. Currently Alex and I are in my room putting the final touches on the plan for tomorrow.

"So what exactly are we cooking for breakfast?" Alex asks me, again.

"You mean what am I cooking for breakfast? Because let's face it, if I even let you WATCH a pancake you'll burn it."

Alex grabs a pillow and throws it at my head. I duck just in time. Thank you fast reflexes. Uh, what's that I hear? I think I hear a baby crawling his way in here.

"Hey Major," I greet Matisse.

His response is a whole bunch of baby gibberish. You see we've started calling Matisse "Major" now. Number one because his initials are M.A.J. and because Brian likes to call him Major Poopers. Yeah, my father is a real weirdo. Also now Matisse has a favorite word, "no". Yeah, his first word is 'no' and he loves saying it. Anyway, Matisse is crawling his little baby body into my room. Alex picks him up.

"You got Major right?" Brian calls from the hallway.

"Yeah, we got him," Alex responds.

"Ok, thanks."

Alex closes the door and continues holding Matisse.

"Did you want to help us plan Mother's Day for Mom as well?" Alex asks Matisse.

"Ajhkjdg hjdhkjds," Matisse responds, in his own baby language.

"So I'm thinking breakfast buffet, then gift giving, then we'll take a time out, and then take her to dinner later," I tell Alex.

Alex is nodding her head. "Sounds like a good plan to me."

"So umm I meant to ask you something earlier," I start nervously. "Have you talked to your mom lately?"

Alex looks at me and her facial expression darkens. "What are you talking aboot? I just talked to Mom twenty minutes ago. You were there with me."

"No Alex, I mean your mom mom, Emily. I mean it has been about a year and a half."

"Does it matter?" she asks. "It's not like she actually cares about me."

"Alex…"

"No!" Alex shouts.

"No!" Matisse shouts back.

I take Matisse from Alex and place him on the bed. I hand him my old cell phone to play with. For some reason he finds technology very interesting so the cell phone will keep him occupied for hours.

"If Emily cared about me then she would have looked for me. Obviously she didn't so she doesn't care and I don't care."

"Alex you don't know if Emily was looking for you or not."

Alex's eyes narrow. "Really Jordan, you're defending her? What happened to me being a Johnson? Why won't you drop this?"

"Because she's your mother Alex! Because she is a part of you no matter what happens!"

"Waaaahhh!" Matisse cries.

Oh no, Matisse is crying. I forgot that people yelling/arguing is what sets him off. I walk over to the bed and pick him up.

"It's ok Major," I tell him while patting his back. "Everything is ok, don't cry." I look over at Alex. "Come over here and play peek-a-boo with him."

Alex rolls her eyes and walks over. "Major," she calls out Matisse's nickname in a light voice. Alex places her hands over her face. "Peek-a-boo!" she says and removes her hands.

Matisse turns his head at the sound of his favorite game being played.

"Peek-a-boo!" Alex half shouts again.

Matisse calms down a bit on the crying and a tiny smile appears on his face.

"Peak-a-boo!"

"Ha ha," Matisse giggles.

"Peak-a-boo! I found you!" Alex begins to tickle Matisse's stomach. He starts giggling and the cry has subsided.

Whew, thank God that's over. I put Matisse down in the play pen we have set up in my room and give him the old cell phone so he'll be preoccupied. I pull Alex out into the hallway and leave the door a crack open, that way we can still hear and kind of see Matisse.

"Listen I know you don't want to hear this," I start.

"Then why bring it up?" Alex interrupts.

"Alex, I know that you're still pissed and upset and you have every right to be but you have to go see if your mom is at least alive. I mean jeez Alex the last time you saw her was like December oh six."

"She's not my mother anymore!" Alex yells.

Oh my God, Alex is crying.

"A real mother wouldn't have chosen her boyfriend over her own daughter," Alex says through the tears. "A real mother wouldn't have bailed her dumb credit card stealing boyfriend out of jail instead of paying the rent so her and her daughter would have a place to live." Alex slides down against the wall. "A real mother would have been there to hold me and tell me everything would be ok when I was crying at night worried sick about her or where we would live the next day."

I sit down on the floor beside Alex. "Last week Mom and Dad told me that soon the adoption will be finalized and I figured that maybe you'd like to tell your Mom and maybe say goodbye or something."

Alex looks at the wall. It's like she's trying to burn a hole into it.

"Should I go to my room and give you some time to think?" I ask her.

Alex is shaking her head no. She takes a big breath and lets it out. "No, let's do it," she says firmly. "Let's go see Emily."

"**MOTHER'S DAY"!:**

"Shh."

"Stop shushing me!"

"Ya know for someone who was once a criminal you sure do suck at being quiet."

"I am being quiet. It's Major who won't be quiet."

"Ajshkdjjdg sjhdklj djhkjdhkdg"

Alex, Matisse, and I enter the 'rents room as quietly as we can. I try to walk as quietly as I can while holding a giant card and Alex is carrying Matisse. We walk up to the bed on Mom's side. I hold my hand up to Alex and Matisse and starting lowering my fingers to count down. My finger gets down to one.

"Happy Mother's Day!" Alex and I yell.

"Jkdgslhjg ijkdlgjsl sdgklj!" Matisse yells.

Brian sits up quickly. "No more candy corn!" he yells.

What? Alex and I look at each other and then back at Brian with questioning looks on our faces. Ok, that was weird. Mom slowly opens her eyes and smiles when she sees us and the giant card I'm holding.

"What's this?" she asks.

"Well since we couldn't be here for Mother's Day last week we decided to make today Mother's Day," Alex tells her proudly.

"So Happy Mother's Day Mommy!" I yell.

I hand Mom the giant card Alex and I bought for her. She opens the card and her face immediately lights up.

"To a mother oh so wonderful, oh so grand;

You're the best kind of brand;

We thank you for everything you've given us;

For driving us to school, for not making us ride the bus

Have a wonderful Mother's Day

YEA!"

Matisse is clapping his hands, something he always does now whenever someone says "yea". Mom is looking at us with tears in her eyes.

Thank you," she says. "I really appreciate it."

Alex, Matisse, and I hug Mom. Alex leaves Matisse on Mom's lap.

"Even Major signed the card," Alex tells Mom and points to Matisse's 'signature'.

Mom smiles. "I can see that," she says. "Good job sweetie," she tells Matisse and kisses him on the cheek.

"But wait, there's more," I tell her.

Mom and Brian get out of the bed and follow Alex and me downstairs. We reach the kitchen and Mom and Brian's faces are in awe. Laid out on the kitchen counter is a breakfast buffet.

"You girls made all of this?" Mom asks surprised.

"I made all of this," I correct her.

"Um I made toast," Alex says.

I look at her. "You burnt the toast."

"Doesn't matter," Mom interrupts us. "This is so sweet. Thank you."

We gather around and have a big family hug. Yeah, the Johnson family has turned Alex into a hugger, sort of. After we separate we all dig in. Mom places Matisse in his high chair and hands him his food while the rest of us grab out on food.

"So do I get something this grand for Father's Day?" Brian asks.

"No!" Matisse shouts.

"Wow, thanks Major. Who changes your diaper most of the time? Me." Brian is nodding his head.

"Don't worry Dad, we'll get you a card," I tell him and smile.

Brian throws a piece of bacon at me and I duck. Nothing like a family breakfast to start a difficult day.

**Late that Day:**

Alex and I decided to visit her mom a little after breakfast. We told Mom and Brian that we were just going out but that'd we see them later. I'm driving to Alex's old apartment right now. According to Jay she still lives there. I pull up to the parking spot in front of the building and Alex and I get out.

Alex and I enter the building and the smell of piss instantly enters my nose. I haven't been in this building since Alex moved out so the smell REALLY bothers me. To be honest I was surprised when Jay told us that Alex's mom still lives here. I wonder if Chad stole more credit cards to pay the rent. Alex and I take the stairs to the familiar third floor. We reach the door that reads 315.

I turn and look at Alex. "Are you ready for this?" I ask.

"Let's just get this over with," she grumbles.

Alex knocks on the door. We hear movement behind the door. The door opens and some random guy is looking at us. Unless Chad got a major make over this guy is not Chad. This guy has striking blue eyes, slick black hair, and looks dirty.

The guy looks us up and down. "What do you want?" he snarls.

"Is Emily here?" Alex asks.

"Who's asking?"

"Her daughter."

The guy's eyes widen. He turns his head around.

"Emily!" he yells. "Some girl claiming to be your daughter is here!"

The man leaves with the door open. Alex and I walk into the apartment. It's been eighteen months since either of us has been in this apartment. The big screen tv has been replaced with a small 19 inch television, but besides that everything looks the same. The guy that opened the door is sitting on the couch drinking a beer. He might not look like Chad but he might as well be him.

"Lexi!"

Alex and I turn our heads and we see her mom coming out from her bedroom. Emily's hair is back to black but besides that nothing totally looks the same. She seems really tired and has even more stress lines all over her face. Emily rushes over to Alex and engulfs her into a hug.

"Oh Lexi!" she exclaims. "I thought I'd never see you again!"

I can tell that Alex is stiff while Emily is hugging her. I'm pretty sure Alex just wants to push her away but she's trying not to be harsh. Emily let's go of Alex and notices me. She smiles at me.

"Hello Jordan," she greets me.

"Hey Ms. Nuñez," I greet her and wave.

Emily turns her attention back to Alex. "Lexi, I'm so glad you're back."

"I'm not back Mom. I came here to say goodbye."

Emily's face falls. "What do you mean?"

"The moment you chose Chad over me was the last straw Mom. I was your daughter! YOUR DAUGHTER! And you chose your boyfriend over me."

Random guy turns his head around. "Hey keep the noise down!" he yells. "I'm trying to watch tv!"

Alex narrows her eyes. "And then you don't even stay with Chad," she tells her.

"Lexi, I'm sorry. But I thought Chad was the man for me and I couldn't let my man rot in jail."

"Your man? Your man? You mean the man that stole from you? The man that hit not only you but me as well!"

"I was in love Lexi."

"It doesn't even matter anymore Mom because I've moved on with my life. I have a new family now."

A look of confusion appears on Emily's face. "What do you mean?"

I step up. "My parents are adopting Alex. She'll legally be a Johnson in a few days. But in my eyes and my parents' eyes she was always a Johnson." I smile at Alex and she smiles back at me.

Emily looks confused and upset. "The Johnsons?" she asks. "The Johnsons are adopting you? So **this** life wasn't good enough for you so you decided to move to the other side of town and get a rich prissy family to take you in?"

Did she just call my family prissy? Ok, obviously Emily is upset because her only child is moving on but that doesn't give her the right to call my family prissy.

"No Mom, I decided to go to a family who would love me and act the way I family SHOULD act."

"How a family should act? I supported you for 18 years AlexandraNuñez! I worked my ass off putting a roof over your head, food on the table, and clothes on your back!"

The random guy gets up from the couch. "I'm going to Frank's," he announces. "When I get back these two girls better be out of my apartment!"

Random guy opens the door and leaves the apartment, slamming the door behind him.

"See Mom!" Alex exclaims. "Men like that shouldn't have been in my life. You also put me in a dangerous environment by having dangerous abusive boyfriends. My childhood consisted of me cleaning you up night after night Mom! At one point we spent more nights in the women's shelter than we did at home!"

"I did the best that I could. After your father left I didn't know what to do. I tried to find you another father, a better father!"

Alex sighs and is shaking her head. "A better father?" she asks. "You honestly thought those men you brought here would be good fathers? Mom, are you really that stupid?"

"Don't you dare call me stupid!" Emily yells at Alex and points an angry finger at her. "I am still your mother and you will treat me with respect!"

Alex is shaking her head, disagreeing with Emily. "No, you're not," she says. "A real mother would have looked for me. You're not my mother anymore."

Alex walks out of the apartment. I turn my head and look at Emily.

"I told Alex to come back and say goodbye to you," I tell her.

Emily narrows her eyes at me. "You took my daughter away from me."

"No!" I exclaim. "You pushed your daughter away! You gave up your daughter the day you chose to bail your dead beat husband out of jail instead of paying for the rent you and your daughter needed. Alex is an AMAZING person and I'm sorry that you couldn't see that but my parents could. They gave her something that you were NEVER able to give her and that's a true home. Alex is better than you and she's better than this. If you EVER try to contact Alex I will make sure that the Toronto PD visits you weekly because I'm pretty sure you and your new man are doing something illegal to stay in this dump."

I head to the door. I stop and turn around. "And by the way if you ever call my family "prissy" again I will come back here and show you exactly how prissy my fists are."

I slam the front door shut. I go down the stairs to find Alex. I see Alex against a wall with tears running down her face.

"Oh Alex," I say quietly.

I walk to Alex and open my arms. She practically collapses into my arms.

"It's ok Alex," I whisper. "It's ok."

I'm just holding her as she cries on my shoulder. I've only see Alex cry a handful of times and each time I see it, it breaks my heart and my heart is breaking right now. Alex lifts her head off my shoulder.

"I said goodbye," she tells me. "Can we leave now?"

I'm nodding my head. "Yeah, let's go to Beth's," I tell her. "We have to go pick up the cake."

Alex and I get into my car and drive over to Beth's house to pick up the cake Mrs. Perez made for Mom. I pull up to Beth's house and Alex and I get out of the car.

"If this helps I threatened Emily that if she ever called our family "prissy" again I'd show her how "prissy" my fists are," I tell Alex.

Alex shrugs her shoulders" Doesn't really help but thanks anyway," she says

I raise my hand to knock on the front door. The door opens. What the…

"Paige?"  


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**A/N: So I have mixed feelings on this chapter. What do you think? Leave reviews please =)**


	33. Ended Up Being a Filler

**A/N: So since it's been a week and I only got 2 reviews I'm going to say that people didn't like the last chapter. That's ok. I'm going to admit that I don't like this chapter but it's just a filler for the next chapter. TRUST ME, the next chapter will be ON POINT!**

**Disclaimer: I don't not own Degrassi or its characters but I do own the new Senses Fail cd =)  


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**You know how sometimes you forget that your friends are friends with one of your other friends? Yeah, sometimes I forget. Sometimes I forget that Beth is friends with my friends, not because she's my girlfriend but because she was friends with these people before we got together. Sometimes I forget that Beth went to Degrassi before I even entered Canada. Sometimes I forget but now I was definitely just reminded, and so was Alex.

"Paige?"

Alex and I are both surprised by the person standing in front of us. Paige Michalchuk is standing with my girlfriend and they both look surprised and Beth looks like she knows she's in trouble.

"Hey," Paige says nervously with a nervous smile on her face.

"Jordan," Beth says my name nervously. "What are you and Alex doing here?"

I cross my arms. "I came to pick up the cake your mom baked for our mom," I tell her. "Remember?"

"Oh yeah…"

Paige is looking at Alex. "Lexie, hon, are you ok?" she asks concerned.

Alex looks down. "Don't worry about it Paige," she mumbles.

"Beth can I talk to you inside please?" I ask.

Beth just nods her head. Beth goes inside her house and I follow, walking past Paige. Beth and I walk into the living room.

"What is Paige doing here?" I ask.

"Am I not allowed to have Paige over my house?" Beth asks sarcastically.

"I didn't even know you were talking to Paige."

"Jordan I NEVER stopped talking to Paige. I know that you and Alex have your issues with Paige but she never did anything to me."

"Yeah but she did stuff to me, your girlfriend, and she hurt Alex, your friend."

"And Paige apologized for that," Beth says. "We all make mistakes Jordan."

"Yeah and Paige has made a shit load of them."

"Listen, Paige was the only one I could talk to aboot you when we broke up."

Wait, what? I know the look on my face is surprised. "You talked to Paige while we weren't together?"

Beth is nodding her head. "For some reason you tend to forget that Paige and I were friends before you and I started dating."

"Paige didn't tell me that she was talking to you."

"Again you tend to forget that not everyone tells you everything. And I asked Paige not to tell you."

"Ok, fine you're friends with Paige but that still doesn't explain what she's doing here."

"Paige is back in T.O. to promote _Mewesical High_ and she stopped by to chat."

"And what did y'all chat about?"

Beth approaches me. "That Jordan Johnson is none of your business. Now I believe you stopped by to pick up a cake. I believe that cake is in the kitchen."

Beth turns around and starts walking to the kitchen. I'm not following her though. She notices, turns around, and raises an eyebrow.

I cross my arms. "I thought we didn't keep secrets in this relationship?" I ask.

"The moment you tell me every single thing Alex says and thinks will be the moment I tell you what Paige tells me."

I'm nodding my head. "Touché."

I follow Beth into the kitchen and grab the cake. I follow Beth outside to where Alex and Paige are still standing but now it seems like they're arguing.

"Did you at least read them Lexie?" Paige asks.

"Of course I read them!" Alex yells. "Did you really think they'd change my mind? After everything you did and said to me."

"Which I apologized for! What more do you want from me?"

"I don't want anything from you!"

Alex walks away from Paige and to the car. Beth and I are looking at each other thinking the same thing," What the hell just happened?"

"I'll call you later," I tell Beth.

Beth just nods her head in response

"Bye Paige."

"Bye hon," Paige says quietly.

I get into the car and drive off. Alex is quiet, too quiet. I sigh.

"So should I guess what that argument was about back there?" I ask her.

"Just drop it Jordan," Alex grumbles.

You think Alex would know by now that I don't drop ANYTHING, especially when it comes to her and Paige. I pull into our garage and Alex and I get out of the car and enter the house. I put the cake up and follow Alex upstairs.

"Just talk to me about it," I tell her.

"There's nothing to talk aboot," she says.

Alex walks into her room and closes the door. Nu-uh, not letting this go. I open her door and walk into her room. She looks at me, slightly angry.

"Jordan, get out of my room," she orders angrily.

I shake my head. "Nu-uh, let's talk about this. You need to talk about it."

"I don't need to talk aboot anything."

I sigh. "Was it about the letter?"

Obviously I hit the nail right on the head because Alex's eyes fire up and her nostrils are flaring.

"Drop it Jordan," Alex says intensely.

"Just tell me what it said!"

Whoa! Alex just zoomed right up to me. We are literally toe to toe right now.

"What gives you the right to be in everyone's business?" she asks angrily. "What makes you think you need to know EVERYTHING that is going on? After today don't you think I've had enough of you trying to "help" me?"

Ok, she is slightly scaring me. Seriously, a mad Alex is not a fun Alex.

"You know what I think?" I ask.

"No, right now I don't give a fuck what you think." She turns around and starts to walk away.

"I think you still have feelings for Paige and I mean romantic feelings. Whenever I even mention ANYTHING Paige related you start to freak out."

Alex turns around quickly. "That's because she hurt me!" she exclaims. "You were there! You've been there every time!"

"What about whenever something happens with Paige you're suddenly so close to Sage. Every time Alex, every time!"

"Don't you dare bring Sage into this!" Alex is pointing at me angrily.

I shrug my shoulders. "I'm just saying Alex. Listen, I'm not taking Paige's side, because God knows I can't after the Hollywood fiasco, but I also can't just cut a four year friendship and I know you can't just cut your feelings for her."

"I can and I did," she says sternly.

"What's in the letter Alex?"

Alex walks over to her desk and pulls out an envelope. She throws it at me.

"Now get the hell out of my room," she orders.

Whoa, whoa, whoa! Alex is practically pushing me out of her room.

_Slam!_

And she just slammed the door. Good thing no one is here except for us or a lot of questions would be asked right now. I open the envelope. What the… There are numerous pieces of paper in here. I flip through the papers. This is more than one letter.

I pull out the first letter.

_Dear Alex…  


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_**Depending on how this weekend goes I might just update this weekend. The next chapter will just be the letters. =)**


	34. Letters

**A/N: #1 thank you EVERYONE for all the reviews. It felt amazing to open my email and see that I had so many new reviews and readers. #2 this chapter was a lil weird for me to write b/c it's Jordan just reading the letters that Paige wrote so I had to sort of write from Paige's POV. There's a reason why I write from Jordan's. because I ALWAYS know what Jordan is thinking. Anyway, ENJOY!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi or it's characters. but I do have my own radio show on WGMU =) *yes, I just plugged my radio show. I Love the 90s with Monet on WGMUradio . com**

_June 2006_

_Dear Alex, _

_It's weird that I'm doing this but I am. Someone once told me that if there's something bottled up instead of you and that you feel the need to let it out then write it. I'm pretty sure Jordan told me that. Anyway, I'm writing a letter that I know I will never give you but by writing this letter I'm expressing feelings that I can no longer keep to myself._

_ Lexie, I miss you. Honestly last month I imagined us being on a beach right now drinking lemonade. My lemonade would be pink of course. We'd be on the beach with Jordan and Beth, just hanging out. You'd say something in your squeaky voice that would make me laugh and I would say something witty. Jordan would make a smart ass comment while Beth either laughs or scolds her for it. But all in all we'd be together this summer._

_ You'd be helping me dorm room shopping, telling me that not everything can be in pink and then I'd argue that pink looks good in everything. We'd take road trips and maybe hit another amusement park like we did over Spring Break. There'd be a scary terrifying rollercoaster that you would somehow convince me to ride and I would be holding on to your hand for dear life. We'd play miniature golf against Jordan and Beth and try to beat them but since I'm such a horrible player we'd lose but still have fun._

_ But things don't turn out like we plan. People don't stay together. I know you said you needed to figure out your life on your own time table but why couldn't I help? I could've helped you figure things out, not just for you but for us. Because in my mind there would be an 'us'. But there's no 'us' now and I guess that's all that really matters. I just wish there was._

_Love, Paige  
_

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_November 2006_

_Dear Alex, _

_I love you too. There I said it… Well I wrote it. I wrote something that I wish I could have said to you. Something I wish I could just gain the courage for and say it. I wish I could forget what my parents would think, what the world would think and tell you how I really feel. I love you Alex, I love you._

_Love, Paige  
_

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_December 2006_

_Dear Alex, _

_Here I am writing, once again. Writing something I should be able to say but I can't in fear that we'll get into another argument._

_ Lexie, I hate what you're doing. I hate that you feel the need to do this. I hate that you won't let me help you. I hate that you care more about your stupid pride than our relationship. Can't you see that you having this job is killing me? Killing us!_

_ You were right before about me not getting it. I don't get how you can do something do degrading when I can help you. That's what couples do in relationships Alex, they HELP each other. And I want us to have a future Alex, I do but we can't have a future if you keep doing what you're doing. I refuse to stay up late every night worry about you Alex. It's not fair to me and it's not fair for us. I love you Alex, but I don't love your job and if your job is going to be part of you then I'm sorry but I can't do this._

_Love, Paige  
_

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_January 2007_

_Dear Alex, _

_You just left. Correction, I just kicked you out. I feel… I don't really know how I feel to be honest. You were right before, this feels/sounds like cough syrup. Except, I don't think I need this cough syrup. I think this is the nasty cough syrup that adults make you take because THEY think it'll make you feel better but in actuality it won't. This cough syrup will only make me choke on its nasty contents and won't make me feel better at all. In fact it's going to make me worse and worse until I can feel no more._

_ Just know that I didn't kick you out because I don't love you anymore, I just think this decision will be best for the both of us in the long run. And if we're really meant to be then fate will put us back together._

_Love, Paige  
_

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_March 2007_

_Dear Alex, March 2007_

_I met someone today. Well I didn't actually meet him because he lives with me but… I think I've fallen for him but yet I can't help but think about you and what you're doing in Florida. But you've probably moved on with your life so I need to move on with mine._

_-Paige  
_

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_June 2007_

_Dear Alex, _

_I wonder how many of these "letters" I'm going to write. Especially since you will not receive any of them. _

_ I didn't choose Griffin because he's a guy and I didn't kick you out because you're a girl. Our situation was different. We both know that at the time we weren't right for each other. But Griffin and I… Griffin made a mistake and he apologized for it. And he's really sweet and kind and smart. _

_ I'm not saying you're none of those things. You are all of those things and so much more Lexie. You're the girl that showed me what kind of person I could be. You're the girl that showed me that I didn't have to follow society or my parents' standards in order to love. You showed me that I shouldn't judge a book by its cover and you showed people that I was more than just the Queen Bee. You did that Alex, no one else._

_-Paige  
_

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_July 2007_

_Dear Alex, _

_I hate your girlfriend. She's a bitch. That's all_

_-Paige  
_

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_December 2007_

_Dear Alex, _

_I don't know what happened. I don't know how I got here, how WE got here. I just… I wanted to prove that I'm not a screw up. That I'm more than just a Banting drop out. That I'm more than some girl who use to rule Degrassi. That I could succeed after high school. I wanted to prove myself to me, my friends, the world, and you._

_ I want you to know that I was out of line what I said that night. It's none of my business whether you talk to your mom or not and it's great that the Johnsons' are adopting you, they've always loved you. _

_I don't think I can apologize enough for what I said, especially to you and Jordan. I was a bitch. I was a roaring bitch. I wanted to hurt you because you had just rejected me, but that was wrong. And I shouldn't have tried to kiss you. I knew you were in a relationship, but I didn't care. All I cared about was what I wanted and that was you. And I still want you Alex. I still want to be with you. I want to be the one that gets to hold your hand. I want to come out to my parents and tell them that I'm with you that you have my heart and that I have yours. I want so many things but I can't have them. I can't have the things that I want because of the things that I've done. But I hope Lexie, I hope that one day you'll be able to forgive me. I hope that one day when I look into your eyes I'll see the spark that you use to have for me back in the good days and not the hatred you have in them for me now. I hope one day…_

_ I'm sorry for breaking your heart Alex and I'm sorry for being a bitch to you. Because out of everyone you deserved it the least._

_Love, Paige._


	35. Movie Premiere

**A/N: This ended up being a chapter where I had no idea where I was going with it. lol! ENJOY!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi or its characters. But this month I bought 5 new cds so I own those =)  
**

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For once I have no witty or profound introduction to this chapter of my life. I can't really think of anything to say. I'm just sitting on my bed, not believing what I just read. In a way I feel a tad bit bad and creepy for reading these letters. I'm pretty sure Paige didn't mean for ANYONE to see these letters, including Alex, but I pressured Alex and bugged her until she finally gave in. Wow, I'm a jerk.

So the big question right now is: What should I do? I obviously I can't just go into Alex's room and be like "Hey so I read the letters. Pretty interesting stuff eh?" That is not an option and it's also VERY stupid move. Ugh, life is so complicated.

I fall back onto my bed. I'm staring at the ceiling, like all people do when they don't know what to do. I wonder how many cracks are in the ceiling. Maybe I'll count the cracks instead of talking to Alex. Yep, that sounds like a good idea.

_Upside, inside out she's livin la vida loca. She'll push and pull you down, livin la vida loca._

I let out breath of relief. I'm saved by the ringing cell phone. I answer my cell.

"Thank God," I say immediately.

"I'm guessing I picked the perfect time to call?" Beth asks.

"Yes, yes you did. Where are you?"

"I'm outside your house."

"Wow, you're like a mind reader."

"Come answer the door please."

I hang up my cell phone and practically run down the stairs. I open the door and there's my lovely girlfriend standing in front of me. I wrap my arms around her.

"What'd you do this time?" she asks me.

"Why do assume **I** did something?"

Beth places her hands on her hips and gives me a pointed look.

"Ok, point taken," I say without her saying anything.

I close the front door and Beth and I go up to my room. I close my bed room door and collapse onto my bed. Beth sits down next to my exhausted body.

"¿Qué está equivocado?" she asks.

"I feel like a jerk and a creeper," I tell her.

"Don't you always feel like a creeper?"

I look at her. Beth puts her hands up.

"Lo siento, lo siento," she apologizes. "I guess this isn't the time to joke."

"Remember that letter I gave Alex back at the airport in LA from Paige?"

Beth nods her head. "Let me guess," she starts. "You hassled and bugged Alex until she gave it to you to read and what you thought was one letter ended up being numerous letters written by Paige confessing certain feelings and thoughts to Alex."

Holy… I sit up quickly and stare at Beth with my mouth wide open.

"You should close your mouth," she says and closes it for me. "Wouldn't want any flies flying in."

"How did you know?"

"Because number one, I know you Jordan Johnson. Number two, Paige told me she gave some letters so Alex. She didn't tell me what they said and quite frankly I don't want to know what they say."

I fall back again and place my arm over my eyes. "Am I a horrible person?"

"No. A little nosey, yes but you're not a bad person."

"Ugh, then why do I feel so bad?"

Beth takes me arm off my face and is looking at me. "Jordan Johnson, do you know why I love you so much?" she asks.

"Because I'm hot, I have a wicked personality and my ass is FANTASTIC."

Beth tilts her head. "Wow, I have no words for that."

"I do have a fantastic ass though."

"Ok fine, you have a fantastic ass. But besides that, I love you because of your heart." Beth points to my heart. "You have such a big heart and that's wonderful. You care about your friends and family a lot but sometimes all that caring makes you put your nose where it doesn't belong."

"I just… I don't know. When it comes to Alex and Paige things are just…"

"Interesting yet complicated?"

I'm nodding my head. "I feel like it was a lot easier when they were just friends and never dated."

"Things always become complicated and messy when love is involved. That's just how life is. But you and I both know that in the end love with work itself out."

"Do you think Alex and Paige still love each other?"

Beth shrugs her shoulders. "I don't know," she answers. "I can't speak for either of them and honestly I don't think they know how they feel about each other, especially Alex. But Jordan, you have to give Alex time and space to figure it out for herself. You can't push your opinions and thoughts on her. It's her life and Alex has to make her own decisions whether you like them or not."

Beth is right, as always. I need to give Alex space and time to make her own decisions. Ugh…

I smile at Beth. "Bethany Perez, do you know why I love you so much?" I ask her.

"Because I'm hot and 99% of the time I'm right," she answers and smiles cheekily at me.

"Exactly."

I lean up and Beth and I share a kiss.

"I'm going to go talk to Alex," I tell her.

She's nodding her head. "I have to go anyway. But I'll call you later to see how everything went."

"Ok. Want me to walk you to the door?"

Beth is shaking her head. "I know where the door is. You just go talk to Alex."

As Beth heads out the door I walk to Alex's room. I knock on the door.

_Knock, knock._

Alex opens the door.

"You have got to be kidding me," she says. "After everything that has happened today and after you practically forced me to let you read the letters Paige wrote you're really going to try to talk to me?"

"I'm sorry," I apologize. "I've realized that I need to let you make your own decisions because this is your life and I can't keep forcing my opinions and thoughts into it. I have to let you live your life."

Alex crosses her arm and leans against the door frame. "Continue…"

I sigh. "I was wrong when I kept bugging you to let me read the letters Paige wrote. This whole thing between you and Paige should just be between you and Paige, not me. But know that everything I do is because I care about you AND Paige. And I know that we've all gone through some major crap lately and we're still going through stuff but I know everything will work out for itself in the end."

Alex is nodding her head. "So this means…"

"I will be staying out of your love life unless you invite me in," I mutter.

"Ok then."

"One more question though."

Alex raises an eyebrow. "Alright, ask away."

I take a breath. "Are you in any way still in love with Paige?"

Alex sighs. "I'm in love with Sage."

"Ok."

I walk back to my room as Alex closes her door. Anyone else notice that that was not a definite answer? I'm just sayin. I'm not going to push it but that was NOT a definite answer.

**Couple of Weeks Later:  
**Question, why does one wear to a movie premiere? I mean do I want to look classy or casual? And if classy then how classy? Or how casual? Ergh, this is slightly frustrating. I'm standing in the mirror just in my underwear and a wife beater, debating what to wear.

Tonight is the _Mewesical High_ Canadian premiere. Of course I am going AND I'm walking the red carpet. Of course my lovely girlfriend will be joining me and Alex will be walking the carpet as well. Well at least she's allowed to, I don't know if she'll actually do it.

_Knock, knock._

"Come in!" I tell the mystery knocker.

Alex enters my room. "What does someone wear to a movie premiere?"

I turn and look at her. "Ya know seeing as we have both been to a movie premiere you'd think we would know what to wear to one of those things."

Alex is nodding her head. "Except that wasn't a big premiere and back then we were in high school so we didn't really care that much."

"That is true. Maybe just a pair of jeans and a t-shirt? Be casual, not classy?"

"Maybe that's a little too casual? I don't know. I'm not very good when it comes to these kinds of things. You know that was always Paige's job."

"Yeah well apparently that really is her job now."

Alex raises an eyebrow. "Really now?"

I'm nodding my head. "According to Beth, Paige is now Jason's personal stylist."

"Hmm, I didn't think a guy like Jason Mewes would need a personal stylist."

I shrug my shoulders. "Well Paige needed a way to put her foot in the door so I guess Jason is helping her out."

"That's nice of him," Alex says with as little emotion as possible.

"Knock, knock."

Alex and I both turn to look at who is standing in the doorway. Wowza!

"Jordan, you should close your mouth before a fly flies in," Beth says and smiles.

Beth is looking HOT. She's wearing a purple lace-inset rouched dress with matching heels and this is one of those rare occasions where she's wearing make-up, not that she needs it.

"Wow, you look…wow," I tell her.

Beth blushes. "Thanks Paige helped me pick it out."

"Well she did an amazing job."

"Thanks hon!"

Whoa, where the hell did Paige just come from? It's like she appeared out of nowhere. Like a magician! And she's holding some clothes. I notice Alex's body sort of stiffens.

"Now because this is a red carpet event you and Beth need to match so I got you a matching purple short sleeve dress shirt and a skinny black tie because I know how you like to wear ties when you wear a dress shirt and I suggest black dress pants and those half inch shoes you own. Since your girlfriend looks classy you need to look classy."

Paige is holding the shirt and tie out to me. I take the clothes from her.

"Uh thanks Paige," I say.

"And Alex since you don't have a date and I know you don't like to do formal very well I picked out these dark barely boot Zelda slim fit jeans and this red chiffon flutter-sleeve top," Paige tells Alex.

Alex crosses her arms. "I didn't ask you to pick out any clothes for me Paige," Alex tells her.

"But I did," Beth says quickly. "I wanted us all to look nice and I know you two can never decide what to wear to events so I asked for Paige's help."

Now I don't know if that is completely true or not but I love how quickly Beth said that, to defuse whatever little fight was about to happen between Paige and Alex.

"I didn't ask for a stylist," Alex tells Beth.

"Alex just take the damn clothes," I tell her.

Alex takes the clothes Paige is holding out for her.

"Thanks," she mutters and walks to her room to change.

Paige turns back and looks at Beth and me.

"Well that went great," she says sarcastically.

I shrug my shoulders. "Could have been worse," I tell her. "There could have been some yelling."

Ow! Elbow in the side, elbow in the side. I turn and look at Beth and she's just smiling. Elbow to the ribs is not fun.

**Hours Later:  
**Alex, Beth, and I are in a limo right now on our way to the premiere. Yes, we're that important that we get a limo. Paige is riding with Jason since she is his stylist AND personal assistant. We're all wearing the clothes Paige picked out for us. Yes, even Alex is wearing the clothes Paige picked out for her and I must say that Alex looks pretty nice.

The limo stops which means we have arrived. Technically this is our first red carpet walk. I'm excited.

"Why are you so excited?" Alex asks.

She must have noticed the giant smile that's been on my face the whole car ride here.

"Because I'm going to be walking the red carpet and I look good," I tell her. "My clothes are amazing, I have a FANTASTIC smile, and I have a hot girl on my arm."

Alex leans into Beth. "See how Jordan just made you seem like an accessory?"

Beth raises an eyebrow. "Are you trying to start trouble Alex?" she asks her jokingly.

Alex shrugs her shoulders. "It'd make this night interesting."

Oh I have a feeling this night is already going to be interesting. The driver opens the door for us and a flood of light immediately enters the limo. Alex is the first one to step out, followed by Beth, and then me.

Wow, there's a lot of paparazzi here, more than there was for _Jay and Silent Bob Go Canadian, Eh! _Alex steps onto the red carpet and Beth and I follow her hand in hand.

"Girls over here! Over here!" I hear random paparazzi call out.

Beth and I stop to do a few poses. I'll admit I like having my picture taken. I can even see Alex stopping every now and then and smiling.

"Jordan Johnson! Jordan Johnson, over here!"

Wait, who is actually calling out my name? I turn my head in the direction where I heard my name. Wait, is that Perez Hilton? Oh shit…

"Umm I'm going to go talk to Perez," I tell Beth.

A look of concern appears on her face. "Are you sure?" she asks.

I nod my head. "Yeah, totally."

I walk over to Perez and his camera man and put a smile on my face.

"My my, if it isn't Jordan Johnson," Perez greets me.

"To be honest Mr. Hilton, I'm surprised you know who I am," I tell him

"Of course I know who you are honey. You're the girl who ruined Paige Michalchuk."

Oh shit. I chuckle nervously. "No dude, I believe that was you."

"Well I heard that you and Paige were buddy buddies back in high school but I guess that changed in Hollywood."

Perez puts the microphone in my face. "Paige and I have been friends since we were 16. We've gone through more trials and tribulations than most friendships go through but we've made it through each one together."

"So are you denying you're the one that sent the incriminating audio of Miss Michalchuk acting like a diva?"

Oh my God.

"Perez, is that you?"

Paige once again comes out of nowhere and appears by my side.

"Hello Paige," Perez greets Paige.

"Perez what are you doing on that side of the rope? Will you not be joining us inside?"

"Oh I will Paige. I just wanted to interview some people first for my blog."

"Well you can interview but we'd really appreciate it if you didn't harass people. Thanks hon."

Paige grabs my arm and pulls me away from Perez. Once we're far away enough from him she lets go.

I exhale a breath of relief. "Thanks Paige, I really appreciate that."

"Listen hon, I know you're the 'source' that tipped off Perez that day. I'm not mad at you because I deserved it. I was a bitch back in LA and I needed to be knocked off my high horse. You just did what needed to be done."

Wow. "Umm yeah. Listen Paige-."

"We can talk later hon. Right now Jason would like to see you."

Paige leads me over to where Alex, Beth, and Jason are standing. Wow, Jason looks really nice in his outfit. Jason is wearing relaxed black pants, with a white casual fit western shirt, and white shoes.

"You look pretty snazzy there Mr. Mewes," I tell Jason.

Jason runs a hand over his torso."Yes, I know," he says and laughs. "Paige helps me look good."

"That I do," Paige replies.

"Manny! Manny! Over here Manny!" I hear the paparazzi yell.

We all turn our heads and see Manny and Jay walking down the red carpet. Manny is wearing a gorgeous indigo mesh-strap crossover banded dress and Jay is wearing a very nice suit. I turn my head and look at Paige.

"I'm gonna go ahead and say you picked out Jay's outfit," I tell Paige.

Paige is nodding her head. "And Manny's as well."

"Whose outfit didn't you pick out?" Alex asks.

"Kevin's," Paige says and points.

We all look in the direction she's pointing at. Yeah, Kevin is wearing shorts with a black and white bowling shirt.

"He said he was a grown man and could pick out his own clothes so I let him," Paige tells us.

"Next time don't," I tell her.

We all head inside to watch the movie. First time in a while that Alex hasn't shouted at Paige. We're making progress.

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**A/N: Next chapter there will be a wedding! =)**


	36. Wait, THEY'RE Getting Married?

**A/N: So Happy Black Friday everyone! Moving on. I tend to forget there are other characters in the Degrassi universe besides Paige and Alex. I mean every now and then I'd sprinkle in some Marco and Ellie but I just think about Paige and Alex mostly. Also I'm guessing a lot of you didn't watch season 9 since no one guessed the correct couple. lol**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi or it's characters. But I do own two new cds as of today =)  


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**When I was younger I dreamed of getting married on the moon. Seriously, that's where I wanted to get married. That dream was crushed when 5th grader Timmy Hummel told me in the 3rd grade that I wouldn't be able to breathe on the moon, therefore I would die. Thanks a lot Timmy, thanks.

You're probably wondering how the premiere went. Well the movie has received some pretty good reviews so far. Critics have applauded Manny's performance, which is amazing. The critics also say that Jason Mewes could be the next up and coming director. The next day I saw pictures from the premiere online. Beth and I even made it up there. Perez trashed the movie and he completely trashed Paige and me. I don't care thought because it's Perez Hilton and Paige could care less what Perez says about her.

Of course there was an after party. I drank some alcohol, not much but enough to get me buzzed. Paige tried talking to Alex but that didn't quite work out. There was no scene, which is good.

But enough about all of that because today is a celebration. I am very proud to announce that my baby brother, Matisse Allen Johnson, aka Major, is now one year old. That's right! It's the little man's birthday.

"Major I need you to be still," Alex tells him.

"No!" Major answers.

"Maybe we should just get his booster seat so he can sit down," Brian suggests.

"Sit down," Major answers.

Yeah, someone learned a new phrase to say. Right now we're, Mom, Brian, Alex, Beth, and I, trying to settle Major down so we can let him blow out his candle on his birthday cake. In hopes that his son will become a basketball star like he was Brian bought Major a basketball shaped cake. All I can do is shake my head.

"Got it!" Mom announces. She appears with the green booster seat.

Alex lifts Major up while Mom places the booster seat down in the chair. Alex places Major in his seat.

"Sit still," Alex tells him.

He smiles his little kid smile at her. You can't help but say "aw" when you see this smile. Brian lights the single candle that he's holding.

"Alright Major watch me," he says. Brian gives Major a demonstration of how to blow out a candle by blowing out the candle he's holding. "Got it?"

"No," Major answers.

"We should probably teach him how to say 'yes'," I tell everyone.

Beth leans down to look at Major at his eye level. "Si," she tells him.

Major tilts his head and a look of confusion appears on his face.

Beth shakes her head. "Never mind," she says.

Brian places a candle on top of Major's cake and lights it.

"Alright Major, make a wish and then blow out the candle," Mom tells him.

Brian shows Major how to blow by blowing out into the air. Major takes a breath of air and lets it out. Eww, I think there was more spit than wind in that, but the candle is out.

"Um yeah, I don't think I'm going to have any cake," I tell everyone. "I'm trying to lose weight." I pat my stomach, though there's not a single piece of fat there.

Alex snickers. "Yeah right," she says. "You just don't want the spit cake."

"Well can you blame me? We all see the junk Major puts in his mouth. God know what's in his spit."

"Major no!" Brian yells.

"Yay!" Major just put both his hands in the cake and grabbed two huge chunks out of the cake. Now he's stuffing his face with his cake.

"Oh yeah, I'm definitely not having any cake now," I tell everyone.

Everyone is nodding their heads, agreeing with me.

"I'll go get a towel to wipe off his face," Mom tells us. She walks away to grab a towel.

_I did it all for the nookie__. __c'mon,__the nookie,__c'mon__, __so you can take that cookie._

That's Alex's phone going off and that's Jay's ringtone. I wonder what he wants.

"Hey Jay," Alex answers her phone.

"I wonder what he wants," I ask out loud.

"Are you and Jay still not friends because I thought you two moved passed that," Beth asks me.

"We have moved past the past. Still, when Jay calls it's not usually good.

"Alright, we'll be there," Alex says into her phone and then hangs up.

"We'll be where?" I ask.

"Jay wants us to meet him at the beach. Something about a party."

"Who has a beach party on a Wednesday?"

"I don't know but he says to wear something nice."

I look down at what I'm wearing. It's summer so I'm wearing my typical summer attire: black boarder shorts and a blue open button short sleeve shirt. I notice Beth's face light up.

"Oh my God, I can wear the sundress I just brought!" she tells us excitedly.

"Well I'm going to wear what I'm wearing now," I tell them.

"You would," Alex says.

I roll my eyes. "Whatever let's just go so we can see what the hell Jay wants."

"I'm driving!" Alex exclaims and runs to grab her keys.

I don't know why she felt the need to do that. I was going to let her drive anyway. I don't have any gas in my car.

**Beach:**

Here we are at the beach. There's a bunch of tents around and a lot of decorations. I wonder what kind of party this is.

Let me just say that Alex has some nerve talking about what I'm wearing. All she's wearing is loose fit khaki Capri's with a black polo and some flip flops. How is that much better than what I'm wearing?

"Hey guys!" a voice greets us from behind.

We all turn around. Oh hey, it's Paige. Oh now come one. Paige is just wearing a jean skirt and a white blouse.

"Ok she's just wearing a jean skirt and white blouse," I tell Alex while pointing at Paige.

Paige looks down at her outfit. "What's wrong with what I'm wearing?" she asks.

"And she still looks better than you," Alex tells me.

Paige smiles. "Thanks hon."

Ugh, I can never win.

"Hey guys, nice to see that Jay invited you," Peter Stone randomly walks up to this.

"Hey Peter," I greet him. "Exactly what kind of beach party is this?"

Peter smiles. "Oh you'll see."

"Where the hell is Jay?" I ask.

"Right behind you."

I turn around and yep there he is. Wait why is he wearing a suit? Wait, why is there a boutonnière pinned to his suit?

"Jay, what's with the suit?" Alex asks.

"Yeah hon, is someone getting married?" Paige asks.

Jay smiles and nods his head.

"Oh my God!" Alex exclaims. "Are you and Manny finally getting married?"

"Nope, young Gavin Mason is tying the knot today," Jay tells us.

Wait, what? Spinner, THE Spinner is getting married? Who the hell is he marrying?

"Spinner is marrying Jane?" Paige asks.

"Who's Jane?" I ask Beth.

"Spinner's girlfriend," Beth tells me. "Don't you ever check your facebook?"

"No, he's not marrying that stone cold heartbreaker," Jay tells us. "He's marrying someone else. But that's all I can say for now because as the best man and the minister I must go check on the groom. I will see you lovely ladies later." Jay winks and walks away.

"I am totally confused by all of this," I tell them.

"You're not the only one hon," Paige says.

We start walking over to the rest of the party guests. Oo punch, yummy.

"So Paige how much longer will you be staying in Canada?" I ask.

"I get another week off and then it's back to L.A.," Paige answers.

"Are you ready to go back?"

"Yes and no. I'm ready to get back to work but I still have some unfinished business left here in T.O."

I see Paige's eyes flicker over to Alex. I see Alex glance at Paige but she averts her eyes away quickly. Now see I can't say anything about this because I promised Alex I'd stay out of her love life or whatever she has going on with Paige, but just note that I really do want to say something.

Everyone is starting to gather near a tent. Alex, Beth, Paige, and I also gather because I think this random wedding is about to start. Is that Liberty Van Zadt? Wow, someone grew up. Just stating a fact! I'm not checking her out or anything because that would be kind of nasty. Jay is already standing there in his whatever he is position and Peter has his guitar with him. Peter whistles to get everyone's attention.

"Welcome everybody to Emma and Spinner's post impulsive casino wedding commitment ceremony," Peter announces.

All I hear is gasps and "what the-".

"It's a wedding guys!" Peter exclaims.

"Did he just say Emma?" Paige asks. "As in Emma Nelson?"

"No, it can't be," Alex says.

"Do Spinner and Emma even know each other?" I ask. "I mean I know I only went to Degrassi for two years but even out of those two years I saw them talk to each other like twice, MAYBE three times."

"Sometimes you fall in love with the person you least expect," Beth says.

Beth has this weird look on her face. Like this "Isn't love the grandest?" look on her face. I am slightly worried.

"So uh if everyone could just spilt down the middle," Peter tells us, using hand motions.

Everyone looks back and there's Spinner, wearing a suit and standing with his mom. Wow, he looks nice when he cleans up. Peter starts playing the wedding march on his guitar. Now why the hell did they allow Peter to be the guitarist for this wedding? I play guitar too!

Spinner and his mom are walking down the "aisle" while some photographer is taking pictures. Manny is walking behind them in a purple dress. And there's Emma Nelson with her parents in a wedding dress. Wow, I… I just… I don't have words for this.

"How totally random," Paige whispers.

"Yeah," Alex agrees.

"She's so beautiful," Beth says, sounding like she's crying.

I turn and look at my girlfriend. Oh my God, she is crying. Beth sees me looking at her.

"I can't help it," she says. "I just love weddings."

I roll my eyes. Emma and her parents reach the end of the "aisle" and her parents kiss her and step to the side.

"Ladies and gents!" Jay starts. "We are gathered here today to celebrate sweet spontaneous lovin."

Oh brother. A few people laugh. I don't think they realize that this is Jay being Jay.

"Gavin, do you still take Emma to be your wife?" Jay asks Spinner. "No matter what crazy curveballs fait chucks at your head?"

You can always count on Jay to be romantic.

Spinner looks at Emma and smiles. "Yeah, I do," he says.

"And Emma," Jay starts. "Kinda the same deal?"

"You know I do," Emma answers while looking at Spinner with a smile on her face.

"The ring," Jay reminds Spinner.

Spinner reaches into his jacket pocket and pulls out the ring. He slides it onto Emma's finger.

"Well then by the power invested in me by the fact that you two are already actually married," Jays says. "I now pronounce you Mr. and Mrs. Gavin Mason and Emma Nelson!"

Everyone starts clapping and hollering. Spinner and Emma are now kissing. I'm clapping but not hollering. I'm not saying that I do not approve of this marriage; I'm just saying that this marriage confuses the hell out of me. I mean they look really happy and I'm happy for them but I just can't get over the fact that this is completely random.

"Please tell me I'm not the only one that is still thrown off from this wedding," I ask.

"I don't know hon," Paige starts. "Now that I see them together they do look good and cute together."

"They both annoyed me in high school so they're perfect for each other," Alex says.

"Why is everyone perfectly fine with this?" I ask. "Does no one see how random this couple is?"

"Just because they're random doesn't make it bad," Alex tells me.

Alex glances at Paige. Alright these stupid glances need to stop or I need to be able to talk about them. I'm just sayin!

The wedding guests are following the couple to the dance floor. Manny and her back up band are on stage, ready to perform.

"This is a special song that I wrote for my best friend, the beautiful bride," Manny says.

The music starts as Spinner and Emma walk to the center of the dance floor. Manny begins to sing.

_I trust you with my tears__  
__and my secrets never told__  
__I trust you with my hopes and fears__  
__and this hand I hold__  
__I know you'll be true to me__  
__whenever were apart__  
__in a world filled with uncertainty__  
__I trust you, I trust you my heart_

I notice other people grab their dates as they head toward the dance floor. I turn and look at Beth. Tears are slowly falling down her face.

"It's so beautiful." She whispers.

I chuckle. "Come on you," I tell her and grab her hand. "Let's dance."

Beth and I walk to the dance floor with the other couples and begin to dance.

_I've been holding back so long__  
__afraid to give it all__  
__looking for a place to land__  
__trying not to fall__  
__you showed me how to give__  
__let me take my time__  
__wishing somehow we'll just know but we'll never fight_

I look over at Alex and Paige and they're just standing there. Alex has her arms crossed over her chest while Paige has her hands behind her back and she's rocking back and forth on her feet. I roll my eyes and shake my head.

"As much as I love dancing with you I can't stand seeing those two standing over there like that," I tell Beth while motioning my head at Alex and Paige.

"Well I'll dance with Alex and you dance with Paige," Beth says casually.

"What? Why?"

"Because you and Alex dancing together would just be weird. Duh."

Beth walks over to Alex and practically drags her to the dance floor. I walk over to Paige and hold out my hand.

"Would you care to dance?" I ask.

Paige smiles. "I'd be delighted to hon."

I take Paige's hand and we walk to the dance floor. Paige places her left hand on my shoulder as I place my right hand on her hip. We start slow dancing and this actually isn't that awkward.

"So you and Alex…" I start.

"Alex still isn't speaking to me and I don't want to leave T.O. until we settle things," Paige says.

"It's not going to be easy," I tell her.

"I don't know what to do. I apologized and I've been trying."

"You have to give her a reason to trust you again, to let you in."

"What if I have a reason but I'm too afraid to say it out loud?"

"Can't let fear stop you Michalchuk."

Why is everyone clapping? Oh the song is over. Hmm, well alright then. Emma walks onto the stage and grabs the microphone.

"Alright, ladies, time to throw the bouquet!" she says excitedly.

I run off the floor. I refuse to get ran over by women and girls who think catching the bouquet means they're next in line to get married. I never really saw the point of all the shoving and pushing to get it. Beth walks over to me.

"Not going to try to catch it?" I ask.

She holds up her left hand pointing to the claddagh ring I gave her. "I'm not too worried," she tells me and smiles.

"Alright, get ready!" Emma announces.

There are a swarm of women on the dance floor, practically fighting each other. Emma throws the bouquet into the air. Oh my God, these women are going to hurt one another! An arm reaches out and catches the bundle of flowers. Wait… Is that?

"Yes!" Paige shouts.

Oh lord. Well I guess Paige is next in line to get married. I see Spinner bringing out a chair to the middle of the floor. Emma walks off the stage and sits down in the chair.

"And now it's the men's turn," Spinner announces whiles smiling that goofy Spinner smile.

"We can we go?" Alex asks. When did she get here?

"After cake," I tell her.

Spinner is reaching up Emma's dress. I'm going to go ahead and say that he's looking for the garter. Emma is just laughing and giggling. Oh, there it is, he got it.

"Alright, get ready!" Spinner announces.

Spinner brings his arm all the way down and tosses the garter into the air. What the hell? He does know it's a garter and not a baseball right? That thing is really high up there. Oh, it's coming down. I think it's coming down near me.

It landed! In Alex's lap.

Alex picks up the garter. "Really?"

Hmm, Paige caught the bouquet and Alex caught the garter. If my life was a story I'd call this moment foreshadowing.

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**I'm not 100% sure what I'm going to do in the next chapter but it'll be good. =) reviews are love**


	37. Sit Down and Just Talk Already

**A/N: This was suppose to be up yesterday but George Mason has crappy wifi. And I'm guessing most of you stopped watching Degrassi after episode 703 since some of you think the Spinner-Emma marriage came from me. No, that really did happen on Degrassi, no lie. Anyway enjoy =)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi or its characters.  


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**Intervention, noun, means the act or fact of intervening. Intervene, verb, to come between disputing people, groups, etc. I've never had an intervention before because I've never had to be intervened before. At least not that I can remember. Well, there was there one time though that Alex told me I had to stop drinking. That was during my depressing break up period with Beth when I was "drinking my sorrows away". I've seen TONS of interventions on television but have never experienced one myself.

Right now Alex and I are on our way to Beth's house. Beth called telling us we had to come over. I don't know why and I have learned not to ask questions when Beth tells me to do something.

"I don't understand why I'm in this car right now," Alex groans.

I shrug my shoulders. "Beth said that both you and I have to come to her house," I tell her.

"I hope this isn't some weird kind of hang out session. Sometimes when I hang out with you two I feel like a third wheel, especially when you two look at each other with lovey dovey eyes."

"And now you know how I feel during the school year when I have to hang out with you and Sage."

"Think about how you're going to feel this upcoming year since we're living in an apartment with her."

I shudder. Yeah, instead of living in the dorms this year Alex and I will be sharing an apartment with Sage. I wonder if I'll be able to get my walls soundproof. No sound in, so sound out.

"All I can ask is that you and Sage have your private love moments when I'm not in the apartment," I tell Alex.

Alex shrugs her shoulders. "Can't make any promises."

I pull alongside the curb in front of Beth's house. Alex and I get out of the car and knock on the front door. Simón answers the door.

"Hey Jordan, hey Alex," he greets us.

"Sup Simón," I reply. "Your sister called, saying she wanted to see us."

I'm not liking the way Simón is smiling right now. It's the type of smile saying that something is up. It's the type of smile I have on my face whenever I'm up to something, like a plan.

"Simón, what are you up to?" I ask.

"Nothing," he answers.

"What is your sister up to?" Alex asks him.

Simón is shrugging his shoulders and shaking his head. "I have no idea what you're talking aboot. I've been sitting in the living room playing my Wii, minding my own business. You're the ones coming up in my home accusing me of things that I have no idea aboot. I'm only 11."

I narrow my eyes at Simón. "Whenever someone goes off on a tangent like that it means they're up to something. Just remember who buys you those games you play on that Wii of yous."

"I'm going back to the living room now."

Simón turns around and walks to the living room as Alex and I enter the house. I head up the stairs with Alex right behind me. We reach Beth's room and her door is closed. I knock on her door. Beth opens the door.

"Hey," she greets me happily and kisses me on the cheek. "Hey Alex."

"Cut the crap Perez," Alex says as we walk into Beth's room. "What are you up to?"

"I have no idea what you're talking aboot," Beth says instantly.

I walk over to her and wrap my arms around her waist.

"Beth, sweetie, the love of my life," I start. "Alex and I both know you're up to something so why don't you just go ahead and tell us what's going on?" I'm pouting with puppy dog eyes.

"Jordan, you're cute," Beth says.

I smile. I think I might be actually getting my way.

"But not that cute," Beth says.

My face just fell.

"Now sit down."

I groan but do what I am told and sit down on her bed. Alex sits in the desk chair with her arms crossed over her chest.

"I know you're up to something Beth," Alex says. "This is one of the very few Saturdays where all of us are off at the same time and Simón was smiling the same smile that you smile whenever you're up to something, so spill."

_Knock, knock!_

I raise an eyebrow. "Beth, who's that knocking at your door?"

"I'm doing this for everyone's own good," she answers defensively.

Beth opens the door. Oh my God, you have got to be kidding me. Paige is standing on the other side of the door.

"Hey hon, what's up?" Paige asks Beth.

"Seriously Beth?" Alex exclaims.

Paige looks and sees us. She seems genuinely surprised. Did Beth plan something without ANYONE'S help? Wow, my girl is learning from me. If this wasn't so bad I'd be smiling right now.

"Come on in Paige," Beth tells her.

Paige walks into the room. She sits down on the opposite end of the bed.

"Wow Beth, you're getting just as bad as Jordan," Alex says.

"I would never do this," I tell them. Now everyone is looking at me. "Ok maybe high school me would do something like this but not 20 year old me."

Alex is shaking her head. "Doesn't matter, I'm out of here."

Alex stands up from her seat and heads toward the door. Beth steps in Alex's path and now she's blocking the exit.

"Move Beth," Alex tells her.

"No," Beth says sternly. "Sit down Alex."

I see Alex's fists balled up. I stand up, getting ready to jump in if needed. I'd rather my girlfriend and best friend/sister not get into a fist fight.

"I haven't used force in awhile but I will if I have to," Alex says.

"Just sit down Alex," Beth says. "I don't want to have to use force either."

"Seriously Alex," I warn her. "Beth knows El Juego del Garrote."

Alex looks at me with her eyebrow raised and then looks back at Beth. Beth is smiling and nodding her head. Alex groans and stomps back to her seat.

"Hon, what are you doing?" Paige asks Beth.

Beth sighs. "I am so sick of this tension that is between everyone and everyone is angry at each other."

"I'm not angry at anyone!" I exclaim.

Beth is pointing an accusing finger at me. "You Jordan Johnson are still mad at Paige. Yeah you might talk to her here and there at certain events but you're still angry at her."

I look at Paige and then I look down because Beth is right.

"I know not everything is going to go back to the way it was before but I at least want everyone to talk to each other. I'm tired of having to go between two groups. Now you three are going to sit here and talk out your feelings or so help me God!"

"Have I ever told you how hot you are when you're angry?" I ask Beth.

Paige groans and Alex rolls her eyes.

"So not the right time for that Jordan!" Beth yells. "Now I'm going to go outside while you three talk."

Beth leaves the room and closes the door behind her. I hear a clicking sound and I know Beth locked us in. Damn her and her lock on the outside.

"I did not plan this, I swear," Paige tells us.

"When Beth wants to do something she does it," I answer.

"I, quite frankly, don't see the point of locking us in a room together," Alex says. "Why? So we can talk about our feelings? You want to know what I'm feeling right now? I'm annoyed."

"I'm kind of hungry right now," I announce.

"I think Beth is doing this for me," Paige says quietly. "She's the only one that's really still talking to me since the whole L.A. disaster."

"Well you did say some really hurtful things," I tell her. I look at her. "You really hurt me Paige. You said awful, horrible things to me. Things that I never would have thought a FRIEND would say."

"I know Jordan, and I feel so horrible. Knowing that I hurt you like that kills me every day. Ever since you met me you've forgiven me for every mistake that I've made. You have such a big heart and I'm so grateful for that and so angry at myself for trying to hurt that heart."

"You keep making the same mistakes over and over Paige. I don't know how many more chances I can give you."

"I know hon, I know. But I don't want to make any more mistakes. I don't want you to **have **to forgive me anymore."

"This is your last chance Michalchuk," I tell her. "Just don't make me regret it."

I lean over and Paige and I share a hug. I hear clapping behind me. I let go of Paige and turn around to see Alex clapping.

"Surprise surprise, once again Jordan forgives you Paige," Alex says.

"Listen Lexie, I know I said some horrible awful things to you and I wish I could take them back."

"But you can't," Alex says bitterly. "You can't take back your words or the things you've done. You can't travel back in time and stop yourself from saying those hurtful things."

"I know you're still mad at me Alex but I don't know what you want me to do. I don't know how many times I have to apologize."

"You think an apology is going to make everything better Paige?" Alex yells. "All you do is mess up and then you apologize and then you mess up again and once more you apologize. After a certain number of times "I'm sorry" doesn't mean shit."

"Well then I don't know what else you want me to do then Alex."

"I want you to stop hurting me!" Alex voice cracks and she's on the verge of tears. "You came into my life and you made it better and then you ripped that happiness away. I gave you my heart and you broke it! But I kept forgiving you only to be let down over and over. And then… And then you give me those letters! Why Paige, why would you give me those letters?"

Paige runs her hands through her hair. "Because I wanted you to know that although we weren't together I was still thinking aboot you. That I still cared aboot you. And I still do Alex."

"No, don't Paige, don't."

Paige stands up. "I still care aboot you Alex."

Alex stands up quickly. "No Paige that's not fair!" she yells. "You are not allowed to tell me that you still care aboot me!" Tears are falling down her face.

"Why not, if it's the truth?" Tears are now also falling down Paige's face.

I feel like this is a definite Palex moment and I'm just sitting here along for the ride.

"Because we'll fall back into the same old routine Paige. You'll admit that you still love me and then I'll tell you that I love you too thinking that this time it'll work but it actuality it won't. We'll just end up hurting each other and I can't let you hurt me, not again."

"I don't want to hurt you Alex."

Alex is shaking her head. "It doesn't matter Paige because we're not meant to be."

"Lexie…"

"No Paige. I'm with Sage now and I love her."

Paige wipes away a tear. "Well what does that mean for us?"

Alex walks over to Paige. "It means we can't be what we use to be."

Paige wipes away the tears that are falling down her face. "If we can't be what we use to be can we at least be friends? Please Alex. I miss you and I'd rather have you in my life than not at all."

"When life seemed to be kicking my ass someone gave me a helping hand and a second chance."

Alex is looking over at me. Wow, I must give a lot of people second chances.

"I can't promise the friendship we had in grade 11 Paige. I can't promise that I'll be able to put everything behind me and forget. All I can promise is to give you one last second chance."

"That's all I want," Paige says.

Oh my God, I'm seeing something I've haven't seen in MONTHS, Paige and Alex sharing a hug. Maybe, just maybe, there's hope for them yet.  


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**A/N: So I have about 30 chapters I still need to do and I want to be done with this story by New Years. Lol, you know what that means!**


	38. Oh My God! She's Wearing Your Clothes!

**A/N: The reason why this chapter is so short is to build up to the next chapter. So yeah, this is a filler. And everyone please remember that in the world of Degrassi ANYTHING can happen =)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi or its characters.**

**P.S. so I deleted my author's note chapter which I shouldn't have done cuz it screwed everything over. so that means you can't review this chapter because you already reviewed A chapter 38. so just send my a private message instead =) **

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If I could drop out of college right now and still be successful I totally would. I mean I do have a trust fund but I'm pretty sure the parents would take that away if I dropped out of college. As you probably guessed, yes school has started once again. Not only are my classes kicking my ass but I also have an internship at 96.3 Northern Florida's best country music station. Have I ever mentioned how much I despise country music? Because I really do.

You're probably wondering how the rest of the summer went. Well Major learned how to walk and we're all very proud of him. Alex, Beth, and I continued working our summer jobs. Paige went back to L.A. and with the help of Jason and apparently Andrea, her old boss from that fashion magazine in Toronto; she was able get a job with Rebecca James. Apparently she's some big fashion designer, I don't know. Also, Alex and Paige are slowly, but surely, mending their friendship.

"Jordan, we're out of milk," Sage tells me.

Oh yeah and I'm sharing an apartment with Alex and Sage. I'm actually on the couch right now, which I picked out, trying to do homework for my Writing for the Electronic Media class.

"Not my problem," I tell her. "I drink skim milk. You and Alex are the ones that drink whole."

"Yeah but it's your turn to go grocery shopping."

"Didn't you just go grocery shopping last Thursday?"

Sage walks over to me and plops down on the couch. "Yeah," she answers. "But then we had that party on Saturday which took up most of our food."

"Damn Amy and her impromptu parties." I sigh. "Alright, I'll go after my Radio Practicum class. Just make sure you have the list and coupons out by tonight."

"Will do," Sage sings.

I hear Alex on the other side of the front door unlocking the door. She enters the apartment door and instantly throws the keys onto the counter. Alex drops her book bag down onto the floor and plops down on the couch next to Sage.

"Hey," Sage greets her.

"Hey," Alex says in a tired voice. "I'm beat."

"I'm a carrot," I tell them and smile.

Sage and Alex are both looking at me with weird facial expressions.

"You said you were a beat so I said I was a carrot," I tell them. They're still staring. I shrug my shoulders. "I thought it was funny and clever."

"I still don't get you sense of humor," Sage says.

"I've known her for four years and **I **still don't get her sensee of humor," Alex tells her.

"Oh screw you guys," I tell them.

I go back to my homework. Sage and Alex are talking about something that is totally not relevant nor important to me so I just don't care. I see Alex reach for the television remote and the TV comes on.

"Really?" I ask. "I'm trying to do school work."

"And this is why you have a bedroom that you can do your school work in," Alex says and smiles at me.

I narrow my eyes. "I'll smack that smile right off your face," I tell her.

"Mhm, sure you will."

I close my textbook and place my homework on the floor. I might as well take a break, God knows I need one. Alex is just flipping through the channels like she usually does. I really don't care what we watch so I'm just going to let her continue doing her flipping.

"Michalchuk."

Wait, what was that? Alex and I are looking at each other with wide eyes.

"Turn back you dumbass!" I yell.

Alex flips back to the channel we think we just heard Paige's last name. Kim Kardashian is on some red carpet for some event talking to someone from Fashion Weekly.

"Paige Michalchuk?" the reporter asks. "I've never heard of her before."

"Well according to Rebecca James, Paige is the next big thing and when Rebecca showed me this dress that Paige designed I knew I had to wear it," Kim says.

Oh my God! THE Kim Kardashian is wearing something Paige designed! Our Paige! Oh my God!

"Well Kim you always did have an eye for good taste and I know how much you love being the first one to wearing something new in the fashion world," the reporter says.

"Did she just say Paige Michalchuk?" Alex asks.

I'm nodding my head, also not believing what I just heard.

"Call Paige," I tell her.

Alex literally just jumped off the couch. She runs to the counter and grabs her phone.

"Paige!" she says excitedly into the phone.

"Put her on speaker!" I tell Alex as I also jump off the couch and run over to the kitchen counter.

"Hey hon," Paige greets us. "Why do you sound out of breath?"

"We just heard your name on tv," I tell her quickly. "And it was over something good and surprising, not bad."

"Oh my God, you heard the news?" she asks.

"More like we saw it," Alex says. "Why didn't you tell us Kim Kardashian was going to wear one of your designs?"

There's silence on the phone. Why is there silence?

"AHHHHHHH!" Paige screams.

I cover my ears but the damage has already been done. Paige just made me deaf.

"Oh-my-GOD!" Paige yells excitedly. "You better not be lying to me Lexie."

"I'm not," Alex says. "Sage, Jordan, and I just saw Kim Kardashian on some red carpet and she told the reporter that she's wearing one of YOUR designs."

"Oh my God! I didn't… I didn't know Kim Kardashian was wearing one of my designs."

"Wait, what news did you think we heard?" I ask Paige.

"Well Ms. James has been really impressed by my designs and hard work and… I'm one of the designers for the 10 Designers to Watch for New York's Fashion Week!"

Oh my God! This is HUGE! For those of you that don't know, New York Fashion Week is HUGE in the fashion world. It's so huge that even **I **know about it.

"Paige, that's huge!" I tell her. "Congratulations!"

"But wait hon, there's more! Ms. James said that I could fly some of my friends out to New York to help promote me and to be my support system. So I was wondering, are you two busy next weekend?"

Alex and I look at each other. We haven't been to New York in FOREVER.

"Oh we are so there," I tell Paige.

"I'm in," Alex says.

We hear someone quietly clear their throat. Alex and I turn our heads and Sage is looking at us. Oh yeah, we totally just forgot about Sage, oops.

Alex takes the phone out of speaker. "Hey Paigey, is there room for Sage to come as well?" Alex asks her.

I think I just saw a hint of anger flash across Sage's face when Alex called Paige "Paigey". Alex is nodding her head to whatever Paige is saying.

"Yeah I completely understand," Alex says. "You can only invite a certain amount of people."

I whistle quietly. It's not looking good for the home team.

"Yeah, just email Jordan or me with the details later," Alex says into the phone. "And Paige, I'm really proud of you. Talk to you later."

Alex hangs up the phone. She looks over at Sage with an apologetic look on her face.

"Paige could only get a certain amount of seats and you know hotel rooms cost in New York and there was Marco and some of her friends she wanted to bring with her," Alex tells Sage. "She's really sorry though."

Sage crosses her arms across her chest. "Yeah, I bet she is," she says.

Alex sighs. "Sage, please don't," she pleads.

"Don't what Alex? I didn't say anything. I am 100% sure Paige isn't able to get anymore tickets. It's totally understandable. Besides, I have a big project due soon and I'll need the whole weekend next weekend to work on it anyway."

Sage gets up from the couch and walks to her and Alex's bedroom. Sage goes into the bedroom and closes the door. Alex sighs and sits down on the couch. I sit down beside her.

"Maybe I shouldn't go," she says.

I'm shaking my head. "Nu-uh," I tell her, disagreeing. "We're going to New York to support Paige. This is really big for her and we are always there for each other when something big happens in our lives. Remember how we celebrated Marco getting a job at that interior decorating place? That was a big moment for him, therefore we celebrated."

"I just don't want to upset Sage."

"Sage will get over it. You and Paige are rebuilding your friendship, therefore you have to go. Also New York is on the opposite side of the country than L.A. which means since the L.A. trip was so horrible the New York trip HAS to be fantastic."

Alex is looking at me weirdly. "Sometimes I fail to understand your sense of logic."

"No one understands my sense of logic, which is completely ok with me. Now let's go buy some plane tickets."

Alex nods her head. New York is going to be fun. I mean, what can go wrong? Right? Right?

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**A/N: What happens in New York stays in New York right? Hmm...**


	39. The British Are Invading!

**A/N: So I messed up by deleting my author's note chapter because it moved everything else up, resulting in screwing up the reviews. so know that there is a chapter before this building up to this chapter so make sure to read it. and for those who could review on the previous chapter because it said you can't "review it twice" so ahead and just review it in this chapter review along with your thoughts on this chapter. just label which is which. once again, my bad =)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi or it's characters. Also to the famous people I mention in my story, I'm not painting you in a bad light, I promise.  


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**New York! New New York! Woot woot! New York! Hey hey New York! I'm in New York, along with Alex, Beth, and Marco. Marco is so excited to be here. I think his little gay bomb is about to blow up. I haven't been to New York in a couple of years so I'm excited to be here as well. I'm totally getting something at the MTV store. Maybe I can get on TRL, that'd be exciting.

We're in a taxi right now on our way to the Marriot. I guess Marco though we'd be getting a fancier hotel but I personally have no problem with the Marriot. I LOVE the Marriot. Beth is taking pictures of EVERYTHING, truly making herself look like a tourist. Apparently she hasn't been to New York since she was ten so everything seems brand new to her. Alex seems excited as well, just not as excited as the other two crazies we're traveling with. The taxi pulls up to the hotel and immediately hotel employees are opening the taxi doors for us and getting out luggage.

"I wish we always had someone immediately open the door for us and get our luggage," I think out loud.

"Dad does it for us every time we come home," Alex points out.

"Oh yeah, hmm."

The bell boys help us to our suite and I tip them. I was told that you should always tip the bell boys and the maids, it's common courtesy. Beth and I get the biggest bed room in the suite, of course. Not only because it's for the two of us but also because Beth ran to the room and rolled in the bed, claiming it as ours. I always knew there was a reason why I love her so much. Marco picks his room and Alex sets her stuff down in her room.

"I've never stayed in a Manhattan hotel before," Marco says.

"Marco, it's just like any other hotel," I tell him. "Except here one candy bar from the snack bar costs about $10, whereas everywhere else it only costs $5."

Marco starts laughing. "You're kidding right?"

I look at him with my serious look. "I'm dead serious," I tell him seriously. "Do not even touch a candy bar."

Marco puts his hands up in the air. "Ok, ok," he says.

"When are we going shopping?" Beth asks.

"Yes, I totally need some new clothes," Marco says.

Alex and I look at each other and then look at the two excited shoppers.

"We're not going shopping," Alex and I tell them at the same time.

"But it's New York!" Marco exclaims. "You have to shop! This is like the shopping capital of the world!"

"I thought New York was the Broadway capital of the world?" I ask. Besides don't you still owe Papa Del Rossi money?"

"Really Jordan?" Marco has his hand on his hips.

"How aboot you and Beth go shopping and then Jordan and I can relax here?" Alex asks with a smile on her face.

"Did I hear someone talk aboot shopping?"

Paige! We all sort of rush over to Paige and share a group hug. Yes, even Alex is in this group hug. Granted known of us have seen Paige since June because she's been so busy. The hug breaks apart because you can only do a group hug for so long. Paige looks terrific. Her blond hair is still blonde, she's wearing little make up which shows her natural beauty, something I told her she's always had. She's also pretty tanned. Well it is still September and God knows it is summer year round in L.A.

"You look good Paige," I tell her.

Paige smiles. "Thank you hon."

"I agree, she looks really good," a random person with a British accent says.

Three people have suddenly appeared behind Paige. I recognize two of them from Paige's facebook profile. Let's see, the one guy that's in the group is a black guy. He has a lip ring, a nose ring, and wearing very dorky glasses. They're the type of glasses that are so dorky they're actually cool. Next is a girl about Paige's height who seems really perky. She's Asian, I'm not going to say which Asian because I do not know and that would be bad for me to just guess. Last is the girl who made the comment about Paige looking really good. She's Caucasian, I'm gonna go ahead and say British because of the accent, looks about my height, black Dido flip hair style (if you don't know what the Dido flip is then Google it), she also has a lip ring, and I can tell her ears are gauged. They're not huge gauges but you can tell they're definitely bigger than the standard hole size. There's something about the way the girl said Paige looks really good, like she's into her or something.

"Oh Riley," Paige says and waves her off.

So I'm gonna go ahead and say that the girl's name is Riley, but it's just a guess. Marco clears his throat.

"Right!" Paige says. "Introductions are in order. Alright this is Marco, my best friend."

Paige points to Marco and Marco waves.

"Next is Beth," Paige says.

"Hi," Beth greets the strangers.

Paige points to me. "This is Jordan," she introduces me.

"Jordan Johnson," I tell them. "Some people call me DJ JJ."

The guy and Asian girl laugh. Alex just snickers and Paige rolls her eyes in a playful way.

"Are you serious?" Riley asks.

"No," Alex says quickly. "Ignore her. I'm Alex."

Alex holds out her hand and everyone shakes it.

"Well I'm Blake," the black guy introduces himself. "Nice to meet you."

"I'm Nelly," the Asian girl introduces herself. "I've heard so much about all of you."

Well Nelly seems nice.

"As always we leave the best for last," Riley says. "I'm Riley. But you can call me Ri Izzle."

Is she mocking me? Beth takes me hand, squeezing it. Beth can usually tell when I'm peeved. Alex is looking Riley up and down and I'm pretty sure Riley is doing the same thing. Riley looks over at Beth and me and noticed our linked hands.

"So you two are the lesbian poster children of Toronto?" she asks.

I look over at Paige with a questioning look on my face. Paige is smiling at me.

"I told Riley how you two are like the perfect couple," Paige says.

"Well perfect is a strong word," Beth says.

"But yeah, we are pretty perfect," I interject.

Alex chuckles and I see Riley smirking. Paige claps her hands.

"Well I heard someone talking aboot shopping earlier," Paige says.

Riley chuckles. "Paigey I think you've done enough shopping to last a lifetime," Riley tells her.

Wait, did Riley just call Paige "Paigey"? I look over at Alex and I can tell her jaw is clenched.

"It's Fashion Week hon," Paige says. "This week is meant for tons of shopping."

"Well how aboot for those who want to go shopping go shopping and the non-stylish people just stay here?" Marco asks.

I point a finger at me. "Hey, I take offense to that Del Rossi. I am HIGHLY stylish. I just don't feel like shopping, that's all."

"I have to admit that I'm not really in the mood for shopping either," Riley says. Riley places her hand on Paige's arm. "How about you and the others go shopping and I'll just hang out here with Alex and Jordan," Riley suggests. "Do some bonding." Now she's smiling at Paige.

Paige looks like she's thinking about it. She turns and now she's looking at Alex and me.

"It's up to you two," Paige tells us.

"Sure, ok," I say. "As long as I don't have to go shopping."

Alex shrugs her shoulders. "Whatever," she mumbles.

"Great," Riley says happily. "Paige, have fun shopping, don't buy too much now."

"Of course not hon," Paige says and smiles. "And Jordan, when I come back I'll have the outfit that you're wearing to my show tomorrow. I designed it myself."

What? What makes her think I don't already have something nice to wear to her show? I am slightly offended. The others are leaving while Alex takes a seat on the couch. I sit beside her as Riley sits down in the arm chair across from us.

"So," Riley starts. "I've heard a lot about you two."

"Really?" Alex asks. "Because we've heard nothing aboot **you**."

"Well I've noticed that Paige likes to keep good things a secret."

I'm studying this Riley girl. I'm not too sure about her. I can already tell Alex doesn't like her, but then again Alex doesn't like most people she initially meets.

"So Riley, obviously from your accent I can tell that you're British," I tell her. "What are you doing in L.A.?"

"I am an aspiring director," she answers. "I've done a few PA jobs here and there but hopefully I'll get my big break soon."

"Why don't you just make an indie film and enter it into some competition?" Alex asks.

Riley chuckles. "You'd think it'd be that easy but unfortunately it's not. I've made a few short films but if I really want to get my name out there I need to get to know directors and producers and in order for me to do that I have to be someone's assistant."

"It's like that for radio," I tell her. "Gotta get some friends in the business first if you want to make a name for yourself."

"Yeah, Paige told me that you're into radio. I think that's really wicked. And Alex, I think Paige mentioned you wanting to become some kind of doctor?"

"A physiotherapist," Alex says.

"That's right, very noble of you."

"Yeah, I guess. So how exactly did you and Paige meet?"

Riley's face lights up. "We actually met through Jason Mewes. He was interviewing me for an internship and Paige came in with some outfits picked out for him to wear to some movie premiere. I saw her and knew I had to talk to her. We've been friends ever since."

Alex leans forward. "Yeah, well Paige and I have been friends since grade 11, best friends actually."

"Umm actually…" I start.

Alright never mind, I was going to say something but Alex is looking at me with evil eyes. Actually make those very evil eyes. She turns her attention back to Riley.

"So what did your **boyfriend** say aboot you coming to NY for Fashion Week," Alex asks. She emphasized the "boyfriend" part.

Riley is laughing. "It's been awhile since anyone has mistaken me to be straight," she tells us. "My ex and I actually broke up a few months ago so there was no one to tell me I couldn't come to New York. Besides as Paige's friend I knew I needed to support her so it wouldn't have mattered if I had a girlfriend because I still would have came. That's what friends do for each other."

_I kissed a girl and I liked it. The taste of her cherry chapstick._

Nope, that's not my phone and it isn't Alex's either.

"Sorry, I think that's my mobile ringing," Riley tells us.

She reaches into her pocket and pulls out her phone. Riley looks at the caller id and makes a face.

"Sorry," she apologizes. "I need to take this."

I point behind me. "You can talk in the bedroom if you want," I tell her.

Riley smiles. "Thanks," she says.

Riley walks into the bedroom. I turn my attention to Alex.

"What is with you?" I ask her.

Alex looks at me like she has no idea what I'm talking about, which I can already tell you is complete bullshit.

"What are you talking aboot?" she asks.

"It's like the green eyes monster has entered your body," I tell her.

"I am not jealous!" she says through clenched teeth.

"Umm yeah, I'm gonna say you are. Listen I know you and Paige just rebuilt your friendship and everything and maybe her having a new super duper cool friend is threatening to you but I think you need to watch yourself."

"Really? You think Riley is super duper? Why, because she has an accent? Well I have an accent too, it's called Canadian."

" Ok, Canadian accent it's not really as distinct as a British accent. Plus that's beside the point!"

"Shh!" Alex orders me quickly. "You don't have to be loud Jordan."

"The point of the matter is that I've known you long enough to know what you're thinking and I know how to interpret your body language and your facial expressions. If Riley has a thing for Paige then let her. Paige hasn't been in a relationship for awhile and she deserves to be happy."

"Hey, I'm Paige's friend too and I care aboot her happiness just as much as you do. I just get a bad vibe from Riley."

"You get a bad vibe from the librarian at school."

"Oh hey now, you agree with me that she's evil!"

Riley comes out of the bedroom.

"Sorry about that," she apologizes. "That was my mum, worrying about me as usual." Riley sits back down in the arm chair. "So where were we?"

"Why'd you and your girlfriend break up?" Alex asks.

Oh my God, you've got to be kidding me. I bury my face into my hands. Just when you think you've left the drama it comes back to get you.

**Fashion Show:**

As much as I'm going to hate to admit this Paige did pick out some pretty nice clothes for me. We're all about to walk the red carpet for Paige's show. But the amount of squealing Beth has done in the past five minutes I'd say there are some pretty big names out here.

"Oh my God, that's Eddie Davis!" Beth exclaims.

"Eddie who?" I ask.

"Eddie Davis," Beth says in a duh tone. "He won Fashion Weekly's Male Off last year."

"I didn't even know you watched the Fashion Weekly channel."

"Of course I do. How do you think I look so good every day?"

"Baby you could be wearing a brown paper bag and I'd still think you'd be the sexiest girl in the room."

"Smooth," Blake says.

I smile at him. "Thanks."

The car door opens and we all get out. Wow, there's more press here than there was at the premiere of _Mewsical High. _I take Beth's hand into mine and lead her done the red carpet. We're stopping every now and then to pose and take pictures. Wait, someone is calling us over. Weird that a reporter wants to talk to us since we kind of nobodies.

"Hi, I just wanted to say that you two look fabulous," the reporter tells us.

I kept help but grin like a goof. "Thanks, my friend Paige actually designed this for us."

"You mean Paige Michalchuk? The designer of this show?"

"Yes, Paige is a good friend of ours," Beth tells the reporter.

"Is there anything you can tell us about Miss Michalchuk? There's been quite some buzz about her."

"Well I've known since Paige since high school and she's always had an eye for fashion," I tell the reporter. "I'm very excited about her first show and I know she's going to show the world what she's got."

"Thank you for talking to us," the reporter thanks us.

"No problem."

Beth and I continue our walk down the red carpet. We also take some pictures from Alex and Alex is actually smiling for all these pictures. It's quite exciting. We head into the tent since the show is about to begin. Alex, Beth, the others, and I have seats in the third row. Sure I would have thought we would have gotten first row, but whatever.

"Oh my God, is that Victoria Beckham?" Beth asks excitedly.

"You see a Spice Girl?" Alex asks excitedly.

I look at Alex with my eyebrow cocked. Did she just get excited about a Spice Girl? Alex sees the look I'm giving her.

"Ok, so I use to be a big Spice Girl fan," she says. "You've always said no judging in this friendship so don't start now Jordan Johnson."

"Alright, not judging," I tell her.

"Glad to see Victoria could make it," Riley says. "My mum and she were neighbors when they were young so I got my mum to send her an invitation to Paige's show. I figured having such a big fashion star like her here would really help Paige out."

"Oh so she can invite a Spice Girl to a fashion show but she can't get one of her indie films into a competition?" Alex asks me.

"Again with the green eye monster entering your body."

Alex crosses her arms across her chest. "Fine, whatever. Keeping my thoughts and opinions to myself."

Music has started and the models are starting to walk down the catwalk. Wow, Paige's designs are really good. These are clothes I can actually see normal people wearing, because let's face it; most clothes at fashion shows are totally not wearable. There are flashes everywhere from the photographers' cameras. I think I'm actually about to go blind. Even through my mild blindness I can tell that these clothes are great.

**After the Show: **

WONDERFUL SHOW! WONDERFUL! Seriously, that was one hell of a fashion show. Sure this was my first fashion show but oh my God. After the show was done Paige came out and everyone stood on their feet and applauded her. I've never seen Paige look as happy as she did when she was on that stage. It was simply breath taking and brought a smile to my face. The others and I are backstage waiting for Paige right now.

"Those clothes were amazing," Beth says.

"Chyea they were," I agree.

"I told Paigey she could do it," Riley says.

Cue the clenching of the jaw from Alex! Yep, right on cue. Hey, I see Paige! She sees us and she's grinning from ear to ear.

Riley steps in front of the rest of us with her arms open. "Paige love, BRILLIANT show!" Riley says.

Riley and Paige are now hugging. Well ouch, that kind of hurts. Riley and Paige end their embrace but Riley still has her arm around Paige.

"Thank hon," Paige says. "And thank you to all of you for coming out and supporting me!"

"Of course Paige," Alex says. "We've been supporting you since high school and we'll keep supporting you."

"Thanks hon."

"Brilliant job Paige, bloody brilliant!" Riley says. "Cheers!"

"Oh jolly good show Paige," Alex says, imintating a British accent. "Bloody brilliant job love. I bet the govena had a grand ole time."

I look at her. "Wow, that's your British accent? Awful mate, just awful."

"Shut up Jordan."

I try to tell a girl her British accent sucks and what do I get? Fine, no more British help from me from now on!  


* * *

**A/N: so there's a new girl in Paige's life and she's British hm.. Also since I'm not British I don't know any British slang that they didn't use in the Harry Potter movies so I have to go to websites to get the slang. so to my British fans I'm going to apologize in advice if I misuse your slang words. My bad =)**


	40. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays

**A/N: Another update! WOOO! I have no real author's note for this one. Yeah...**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi or its characters. And there are some lines from NSYNC's song "Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays"  


* * *

**It's cold outside, there's snow on the ground, lights are everywhere, people are singing, and I'm giddy with joy. That's right! It's that time of year again. IT'S CHRISTMAS TIME! Now everyone sing with me. It's a wonderful feeling, feel the love in the room from the floor to the ceiling. It's the time of year, Christmas time is here. Christmas is my third favorite holiday. The first being my birthday of course because my birthday is an international holiday, seriously. My second favorite holiday is Beth and my anniversary, because in our world it's a holiday. The thing I love about Christmas is that I can be with my family and friends.

Fall semester of junior year was ok. Once again I earned A's and a couple of B's. Once again Alex beat me by earning all A's which totally isn't fair because she's good at science and I suck at science. The Alex-Sage relationship is still going strong. Although there was a small argument between them after Fashion Week because Alex wouldn't shut up about how much she dislikes Riley. So Sage pointed that out and yeah… This year we, Alex, Beth, and I, flew home for Thanksgiving though since we all had a week off and Alex and I really wanted to see Major since he's growing up so fast.

Paige's life has really changed since Fashion Week. People are really starting to know her name. I've seen her do a couple of interviews on Fashion Weekly, because now Alex and I watch that channel religiously just to see if they mention Paige. I know she and Riley have also gotten a tad bit closer but I don't have all the details on that… yet.

So right now I am at the Perez household. Beth and I are hanging out in here room. We're just talking about nothing, as always. The door is open because let's face it, even though I'm a girl there are still rules in this household.

"So what did you get me for Christmas?" I ask.

"Assuming I got you something," Beth says teasingly.

"Oh well if you didn't get me anything then I didn't get you anything," I tell her, playing along.

"Yeah ok Jordan Johnson. Everyone knows you love giving gifts. You give Simón a gift every year on Cinco de Mayo and Natalicio del Libertador."

"Hey Natalicio del Liberator is to celebrate the birth of Simón Bolivar, the man that help liberate Venezuela and the man who Simón is named after. Also I know Cinco de Mayo is a very important day as well."

"Do you even know what Cinco de Mayo is?"

"May 5th? The day we all celebrate how great tequila is?"

Beth laughs. "Wow, you're very lucky you're cute."

_Knock, knock._

Beth and I look up at the doorway. Mr. Perez is standing there smiling at us.

"Lo siento for interrupting," he says. "Jordan, I was wondering if you'd be joining us for dinner."

"Oh, I can't," I tell him. "Big family night tonight at the Johnson household. But thank you anyway Mr. Perez."

"Maybe next time," he says and smiles.

Mr. Perez walks away, leaving Beth and I alone once again. I'm kind of bummed I can't stay for dinner now because Mrs. Perez is an amazing cook.

"Hey, can I ask you something?" I ask.

"Sure."

"How is it that your parents are so cool with us dating? I mean no offense but they're Hispanic, your dad is half Irish, and y'all are Catholic. Last time I checked those groups are exactly "yay gay"."

"Well you know how my father's parents are Mexican and Irish right?"

I nod my head because I know this fact very well.

"Well like I've said before my grandparents met in high school. It was the 1940s at this time and contrary to popular belief there was racial segregation in Canada. Well they went to Catholic school and although they went to the same school the school was very much so segregated. The racial segregation couldn't stop them from falling in love though. Of course they faced opposition because Abuelo's family was not ok with their oldest son dating a white Irish girl and Grandma Cathleen's family was definitely not ok with their daughter dating a Mexican. To make a long story short my father comes from two parents who face hardship because of who they were in love with and knows that you can't help who you fall in love with."

"Wow, so your grandparents were like the modern day Romeo and Juliet?"

"Yeah except lucky for us no one died."

"True." Beth and I share a loving kiss. "Well I'm glad your grandparents' hardships allowed us to be together with having to face the same discrimination."

"That's because you haven't met the rest of the family," Beth tells me. "They're not as accepting as Papi is."

"Oo, that makes me look forward to meeting the rest of your family," I tell her sarcastically.

"Once they meet you I know they'll love you as much as I do."

"I bet they will." I look at my cell phone to check the time. "I gotta go, it's time for the big family celebration."

I get off of Beth's bed and make my way to the front door.

"What exactly are you guys celebrating?" she asks once we reach the front door.

"I don't know exactly but I know there's cake involved so I'm there."

Beth laughs. "Of course you are. Call me later."

"Of course I will." Beth and I share a kiss. "Love you."

"Love you too. Now go get your cake."

**Johnson Household:**

If anyone ever tried to find out where I live they wouldn't have to try very hard. Let's just say that during the holiday season our electrify bill is through the room. There're lights all over the house, we have those scary moving reindeer lights, and for some reason we have a giant lit up menorah and kinara in the front yard. We're not Jewish and we don't celebrate Kwanzaa. It's quite ridiculous if you ask me. But when Brian flipped the switch to turn on the lights Major's face lit up as well. I must say that that was a great sight to see.

I enter my house and the smell of ginger bread cookies instantly hit my nose. This is exactly why I can't lose weight when I'm at home for the holidays, because my mother feels the need to bake ginger bread cookies all the time.

"Matisse come here," I hear my Grandma call out Major's actual name.

Yep, the grandparents are here this year which is actually pretty nice, except when Grandma complains about the cold. We told her to pack actual winter clothes. Not Florida winter clothes. Grandpa LOVES the snow. He also loves throwing snowballs at Grandma which doesn't make her too happy.

"Matisse," Grandma calls out Major's name again.

"Grandma I told you he won't answer to that," Alex says.

I walk into the living room to see the grandparents sitting on the couch and Major is standing in front of the Christmas tree staring at it. He's amazing by the lights, like REALLY amazed. Alex is sitting on the other couch.

"I'm going to call him by the name his parents gave him," Grandma says.

"A name that no one calls him by," Alex points out.

"Hush up Lexie. I'm going to prove you wrong. Matisse, Matisse come to Grandma."

No response. Alex and I start laughing.

"Hey Major," Alex calls out.

Major turns around and looks at Alex. Ha ha! Now Alex and I are laughing even harder. Major walks over to Alex and climbs up on her lap. Alex holds out her hand.

"High-five buddy," she says.

Major slaps Alex's hand. I look over at Grandma and she's just shaking his head.

"Just not right," she says.

_Ding dong!_

I walk to the door to answer it. I open the door and the family lawyer, Rodger Smith, is standing there. Weird for him to be here.

"Hey Mr. Smith," I greet him. "Come on In."

I move over to allow Mr. Smith to walk in.

"Thanks Jordan," he says. "It's freezing cold out there."

I'm nodding my head, agreeing with him. I take his coat and hang it on the coat hanger.

"What exactly are you doing here Mr. Smith?" I ask him. "Not that I'm not excited to see you. It's just last time I saw you I found out that I'm not getting my trust fund till I'm 25, as opposed to 21 when I was originally supposed to get it."

"Well I'm here with good news this time," Mr. Smith says. "Are your parents in the kitchen?"

"Yeah, they're in there. Just make sure you announce your presence first before you actually walk in there. There's mistletoe all over this house if you catch my drift."

"Yes Jordan, I catch your drift."

Mr. Smith walks to the kitchen and I go back into the living room. I sit down on the couch beside Alex, who's playing peek-a-boo with Major at the moment.

"Was that Mr. Smith at the door?" she asks.

"Yeah, I wonder why he's here."

"Maybe Mom and Dad are pushing the age you can get your trust fund to 30." Alex smirks.

"The only reason why it was pushed to 25 was so they could build up your trust fun," I tell her.

Alex sticks her tongue out at me. Oh great, now Major is sticking out his tongue as well. He's such a copy cat sometimes. Mom, Brian, and Mr. Smith walk into the living room. They're smiling which must mean that they're about to tell us something good.

"Well after about a year and a half of going through legality and tons of rules and laws we can finally make it official," Brian says.

"What are we exactly making official?" I ask.

Mr. Smith pulls out a set of papers out of his briefcase. "I have in my hands the papers to make the adoption of Alexandra Deanna Nuñez official," he says in smile.

No way! I forgot about the whole adoption process. I've just been calling Alex my sister for the past year and a half ever since Mom and Brian asked me how I would feel about them adopting her. This is quite a celebration indeed, cake is sooo appropriate for this moment. I look at Alex and if you looked up the word 'happiness' up in the dictionary then you would see Alex's face next to it.

"So what do you say Alex?" Brian asks with a grin on his face. "You ready to officially become a Johnson?"

Alex places Major on my lap and stands up.

"I'd love to become part of your family," she says happily. "But I do have one request."

"Go ahead."

"I've grown up my whole life being Alex Nuñez and to be honest I can't imagine **not **being Alex Nuñez. So I was wondering if I could keep Nuñez but still have Johnson as part of my name."

Brian and Mom are smiling and nodding their heads. Mr. Smith pulls out a new packet of papers from his briefcase.

"We had another set of forms ready in case you wanted to keep Nuñez," Brian says.

My dad is very smart man, yes he is.

"Once you sign these papers your name will officially be changed to Alexandra Deanna Johnson Nuñez," Mr. Smith tells us.

"I think I can live with that," Alex says.

We all go into the kitchen, including Grandma and Grandpa. Mr. Rodger sets the papers down on the kitchen island. Mr. Smith hands Alex a fancy pen.

"Once you sign the papers there'll be no turning back," I warn her.

"I think I'm ready."

Mr. Smith points to where Alex has to sign. Then he flips to another page where she once again has to sing. The Mom and Brian sign the parts they have to sign. Mr. Smith pulls out a stamp and stamps the papers.

"Congratulations!" he yells. "You're officially a Johnson."

Everyone is cheering. Major is clapping his hands, not because he knows what's going on but because everyone else is cheering. Alex is looking at me with a smile on her face and her arms open.

"Give your big sister a hug," she says.

"Oh lord, I hope you don't plan on referring to yourself as my big sister for the rest of our lives," I tell her.

"Hmm, possibly."

We laugh and share a hug.

"Time for cake!" Brian announces.

"Cake!" I yell. I love me some cake.

**Christmas:**

Ever since I was little I've always been the first one to wake up on Christmas morning. There's the excitement in the air that wakes me up bright and early. It's 7am right now which means it's time to open presents. I'm creeping into Major's room first right now. I turn on the light.

"Hi," Major greets me. He's standing up in his crib right now smiling at me.

"Major, I think the Christmas spirit woke you up like it woke me up," I tell him.

He has his arms stretched out in front of him which means he wants me to pick him up. I pick him up and take him out of his crib.

"Let's go wake everyone up," I tell him.

Major and I go to Alex's room. I set Major down on Alex's stomach.

"Major, say hi," I whisper to him.

"Hi!" Major says.

I see Alex stirring. Her eyes are blinking open.

"Good morning sleeping beauty," I greet her happily with a huge grin on my face.

"I thought once you turned 20 you would stop waking people up early on Christmas," she grumbles.

"I might be 20 but Major is only one."

"Don't use our brother as your scapegoat." Alex turns her attention. "Hi Major."

Alex starts tickling him and now he's laughing his little baby laugh. His laugh is so cute and contagious. Alex picks Major up off her stomach and is now carrying him.

"Come on, let's go wake everyone else up," she says.

"Yay!"

**Later:**

Christmas, what a sweet sweet holiday. Everyone racked up this year. I got a new electrical guitar, a Gibson CS-336 and a new effects pedal. Brian got Mom the complete set of New Edition records. We all got Brian something Dolphins and Lakers related. Mom and Brian bought Alex brand new state of the art noise cancellation headphones. They look REALLY nice. I got Alex a new effects petal for her bass and she got me the new Demi Lovato cd. Do not judge me. Grandparents gave us money of course. As for Major, he got some new toys, including a toy cell phone.

It's the afternoon now and we're all just chillin. Well actually Alex and I are in the music room jamming out. We're working on a new song. Hopefully as Major gets older he'll learn the drums and we can be a family band, but a COOL family band.

"That was a sick bass line," I tell Alex.

"Yeah the new pedal does wonders," she responds.

"I must say that the music world better look out for you two," someone says.

Alex and I turn our head to the doorway. Hey, Paige is here! Alex and I set our instruments down in their individual stands. I hug Paige first and then her and Alex hug.

"Merry Christmas," she says.

"Merry Christmas!" Alex and I say at the same time.

"I brought you two some gifts."

Paige reaches into the bag she's carrying. She pulls out a small square shape box and hands it to me. I open the box and inside is a guitar pick and it looks like someone tried to sign it.

"A signed guitar pick?" I ask.

"Yes, but guess who signed it," Paige says.

"Who?"

"Benji Madden."

Oh my God. My jaw literally just dropped and I know my eyes are as wide as fuck.

"No way!" I say is disbelief. "You got Benji Madden of Good Charlotte to sign this? How the hell were you able to do that?"

"Well I ran into Nichole Riche at a fashion show and I mentioned how you were a big fan of her boyfriend's band and she was able to get Joel to get Benji to sign a pick."

"Oh my God, best present ever! Thank you!" I wrap my arms around Paige and hug her. Well more like I'm squeezing the life out of her right now.

"Hon, I-can't-breathe," Paige says.

I let her go. "My bad," I apologize.

Paige reaches into her bag and pulls out a rectangular box, bigger than mine. She gives the box to Alex.

"Now Lexie you're harder to shop for but I hope you like what I got you," Paige says. "Kevin and Jason came up with the idea."

Alex opens the box and pulls out a black sleeve shirt. She's reading the front of the shirt and smiles. Alex turns the shirt around so I can read it. In white print it says: 'Yes, I'm the Acid Tongue Raven Haired Beauty from the Wrong Side of the Tracks.'

"I love it Paige, thank you," Alex says. "I also got you something."

"We got you something," I correct.

Alex hands Paige the gift bag that's been sitting on the desk. Paige pulls out a pink short sleeve shirt. She reads the writing on the front of the shirt and laughs. The writing says, "Yes, I'm THE Paige Michalchuk'.

"Guys, it's great," she says smiling.

"Yeah, we thought so too."

"Well gift exchange was fun but I have something exciting to tell you."

"Oo do tell," I say.

"Well I've been hired to be the Costume Designer for an upcoming movie," Paige says excitedly.

"Oh my God, no way!" I exclaim.

"That's great news Paige!" Alex exclaims.

"Yeah, Riley was able to get me the job because she's the PA and the director and studio looked at some of my sketches and were impressed with my stuff. I leave next month for Vancouver."

"What's the movie?" I ask.

"Henry the eighth."

"As in King Henry the eighth of England?" Alex asks.

I turn and look at Alex with my eyebrow raised. "You know who King Henry is?" I ask surprised.

"I did get an A in World History," she points out.

"Alright Ms. Straight A's." I turn my attention back to Paige. "Paige that's AMAZING news. How long will you be in Vancouver?"

Paige shrugs her shoulders. "I don't know," she answers. "I have to do pre-production which could take up to three months and then there's the filming itself but at least I'll still be in Canada. I'll be closer to home now."

"Well I am very excited for you Paige," I tell her. I hug her.

"Me too," Alex says. Alex and Paige share a hug.

"Well I have to go," Paige says. "More gifts to hand out. But I will talk to you to later. Bye!"

Paige leaves the band room and I hear her leaving the house. I turn to look at Alex. Her face isn't screaming excitement or joy right now.

"What's up your butt?" I ask.

"Paige is going to be on a movie how set with Riley for God knows how long," she says. "People hook up on movie sets."

I'm shaking my head at her. "You gotta get over this," I tell her.

"All I'm saying is that Paige needs to be careful because when she's not looking that's when Riley and her British army will pounce on her." Alex is nodding her head.

Did she really just say "pounce"? All I can do is shake my head. I say that if Paige wants to hook up with Riley then hook up with her. But then again, what do I know?


	41. Spring Break!

**A/N: I can honestly say I do not like this chapter at all. It did not go where I wanted it to but whatever. Maybe you'll like it =)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi or its characters. But I have about to own a new car radio =)  


* * *

**March is a month that I have come to love in college. In high school March was just another month where the seasons began to change. In college however March means SPRING BREAK! Yep, it's that time of year again where Spring Break is almost upon us. It's the end of February right now and Alex and I are discussing Spring Break plans. Seeing that we've spent the past two spring breaks in Miami and Beth's spring break is the same time as ours this year we figured that we'd pick a new destination to visit.

"We could go to Omaha," Alex suggests.

"Omaha?" I ask. "As in Omaha, Nebraska?"

Alex is nodding her head. "I heard that they have this zoo that has the world's largest indoor rain forest," she says excitedly.

"Who are you and what have you done with the real Alex Nuñez?"

"I can't be excited aboot the world's largest indoor rain forest? Jordan I'm like an onion, I have many layers."

"Stop watching Shrek with Major all the time!"

_I'm A Barbie Girl in the Barbie World.__Life in Plastic, it's fantastic._

"And stop taking my ringtones for people!" I yell.

Alex answers her phone. I already know it's Paige, not only from the ringtone but also because a smile just appeared on Alex's face. It's sort of weird now that Alex smiles every time Paige calls her.

"Hey Paige," Alex says. Alex opens up her phone and presses a button. "You're on speaker now."

"Hey Jordan!" Paige says through the phone.

"Hola Paige!" I greet her. "How's Vancouver?"

"The people here are slightly different than the people back home in T.O." she says. "But I have to admit that it's nice being back in Canada. How's school?"

"Sucks but I do like having a four day weekend every weekend," I answer.

"Well aside from not having a four day weekend I'm having an awesome semester so far," Alex responds.

Sometimes I just want to smack Alex and try to get the old Alex back.

"Well I was wondering if you two had plans yet for Spring Break," Paige says.

"Oh my God, please tell me that you're about to invite us to Vancouver," I tell her.

"Yes hon, I am. I would love it if you two and Beth could fly out here. You could see the set and the amazing costumes we have ready."

"Yes, a million times yes!"

"What aboot you Alex?"

"I'm in," Alex says. "I like Vancouver. Plus it would be different from our other Spring Breaks."

"Yay!" Paige cheers. "I'll email you two the details. Talk to you later!"

Alex closes her phone shut.

"Oh I am totally ready for some Vancouver fun," I tell Alex.

"And it's still skiing season!"Alex says excitedly. "We can totally go snowboarding."

"You know damn well I'm not good at snowboarding."

Alex puts her hand on my shoulder. "Then you can watch as I tear down the mountains."

I laugh sarcastically. "Yeah ok."

The front door of the apartment opens and there's Sage walking into the apartment. She looks tired, for real.

"Hey Sage," I greet her.

"Hey," she greets me back.

Alex stands up from the couch and walks over to her girlfriend. She kisses Sage on the cheek.

"Hey, how was your day?" Alex asks her.

"Exhausting, Basic Marketing Concepts is anything but basic," Sage says tiredly.

"I believe that," I tell her. "Just like snowboarding is anything from basic."

"You tried snowboarding once, ONCE!" Alex exclaims. "Vancouver has some of the best snowboarding places. Ya know they're having the Winter Olympics in Vancouver next year."

"Why are y'all talking about Vancouver?" Sage asks.

I hope up from my seat approach the couple. "Because Vancouver is the Spring Break destination this year," I tell her.

Sage raises her eyebrow and looks at Alex. "Really now?" she asks. "I don't remember discussing this."

"Well Paige called about five minutes ago inviting us out there," I tell her.

Sage laughs bitterly. "Of course she did. I thought you were coming down to Miami with me to see my parents?" she asks Alex.

"After last year?" Alex asks in disbelief. "I'm not going anywhere near your parents."

"I told you that I've been working on them since last year," Sage says. "You should give them another chance. They're giving you another chance."

"I didn't ask for another chance!"

"You know what Lexie, it's not even about my parents. This is about how you went ahead and made plans for spring break without even consulting your girlfriend."

"Well I actually told Paige we were going so-."

"Shut up Jordan!" Sage interrupts me. "This doesn't concern you!"

Alright, I'm going to go sit down on the couch now. I walk over to the couch and turn on the TV.

"Ok, you're upset and I can see that," Alex says. "I'm sorry. But let's face it, you can't really blame me for wanting to go to Vancouver to visit a friend and there's snow there! There's no snow here! And it's snowboarding season still."

"Well am I invited to this little trip?" Sage asks.

Cue the dead silence! I don't even have to turn around to tell you that Alex's face just fell and she's cursing herself out right now.

"Of course you're invited," Alex says nervously. "Why wouldn't you be?"

"No Lexie, I didn't mean did you just invite me. Did Paige herself invite me?"

Cue another round of dead silence! If this was a radio show we'd be fined thousands for dead silence, I'm just sayin'.

"…No," Alex finally responds.

"Did you even ask her if I could come?"

I sit up and turn around. "In Alex defense I did most of the talking," I tell Sage.

Sage turns and looks at me. Oo, angry eyes!

"Stay out of this Jordan!" she yells while pointing a very angry finger at me.

"Yes ma'am," I respond in a quiet voice.

"No I didn't ask," Alex answers the question from before.

Sage chuckles angrily. "Of course you didn't because now that your best friends with Paige again I matter less to you."

"Sage that is not true!" Alex exclaims. "I love you. You're first."

"Shouldn't I be first?" I ask.

"Jordan…" Alex says in a warning tone.

"Ok, I'll stop talking."

"Sage, you're first ok? When Paige and I weren't friends you were first and now that we're friends again you're still first."

"Are you sure Lexie?" Sage asks. "Because first you go to New York without me and now you're going to Vancouver without me. Doesn't seem like I'm first."

"Then comes with us," Alex says suddenly.

Wait, what did she just say? I just spun around so fast in my seat I think my head is still spinning. Sage's face is also telling me that she didn't see that invitation coming.

"What?" Sage asks.

"Come to Vancouver with us," Alex says again. "It'd be perfect for us. A vacation, we can visit the sights, play in the snow, and most of all we won't have to deal with your parents this spring break."

"Lexie I can't just come to Vancouver with you. It's totally last minute."

Alex is nodding her head. "Which is exactly why you should do it! Live in the now, live in the moment."

Oh my God, she's not really pulling out the "live in the moment" thing again is she? That didn't work so well the first time if I remember correctly. I'm just watching the couple now to see what's going to happen. A smile slowly appears on Sage's face. Uh-oh.

"Ok, I'll go," Sage says happily.

"Good!" Alex exclaims. "You will not regret it."

"Of course I won't because I'll be hanging out with you Lexie," Sage says. "I love you."

"I love you too."

And now they're kissing. I can feel the throw up in my throat slowly coming up through my throat. Oh thank God, they're done.

"I'm going to go call my parents to tell them I won't be coming home," Sage tells Alex.

Sage is walking to her bedroom while Alex is walking over to me with a smile on her face. Alex sits down on the couch. I start chuckling.

"What are you chuckling aboot?" she asks. "Did you see how I fixed that disaster?"

"You are a complete idiot," I tell her, still chuckling. "Sometimes I think you're a guy because you make really idiot guy decisions."

"Jordan, what are you talking aboot?"

I turn to look at Alex. "You just invited your girlfriend on a trip that was set up by your ex who she clearly doesn't like and Paige has no idea that a girl who she doesn't like is coming."

Alex's face falls. My chuckling has now turned into a full laughter.

"If I were you I'd call Paige right now to warn her," I tell her. "Because we both know how much Paige hates surprises."

Alex quickly pulls out her cell phone. Looks like I'm in for another interesting Spring Break.

**Vancouver:**

Did you know that Vancouver's nickname is Hollywood North? Yep, it's true. Well I think after this week it's be known as the place for round two of Paige verses Sage. I have to admit that I am sort of excited for this. I just have to make sure that I stay out of it.

Our plane just landed about fifteen minutes ago. Alex, Sage, Beth and I are walking off of the plane. My ass hurts, like seriously it hurts.

"I hate being on a plane, my ass always ends up hurting," I say out loud.

"TMI Jordan," Alex says.

"If you want I can take care of that for you later," Beth whispers in my ear.

I smile. "Yes please."

Alright I see some blonde girl frantically waving her arms in the air. I'm going to go ahead and say that the girl is Paige.

"Paige!" I greet her excitedly.

I drop my bag and pick Paige up. I'm hugging her while holding her up in the air at the same time.

"Jordan!" Paige squeals. "Put me down!"

I do as I'm told and put Paige back down on the ground.

"Thank you hon," she says. "It's nice to see you as well."

"Hey Paige," Beth greets Paige.

"Hey hon!" Paige greets Beth excitedly. "Oh my God, I LOVE your new highlights."

Yeah, Beth has like blood red highlights in her hair. I said they look nice, but really what else was I going to say? They do look good of course but I think my opinion is also biased.

"I decided to do something different with my hair," Beth tells her. "I got bored one day."

"Well your boredom turned into a complete success," Paige says.

Paige turns her attention to Alex. Paige's face definitely lit up when her eyes landed on her.

"Lexie, hi," Paige greets Alex.

"Hi Paige," Alex greets her.

The two approach each other, carefully it looks like to me. And cue the weird maneuver hug. I don't know why this hug looks awkward. Someone clears her throat. Oh yeah, that's probably why. Alex and Paige separate and now Paige is giving Sage her fake smile.

"Hello Sage," Paige greets her. "Nice to see you again." Paige's voice is dripping with sarcasm.

"It's nice to see you too Paige," Sage says. "You look well."

Someone is walking toward us. Oh hey, it's Riley. Riley walks up to Paige.

"Love, next time can you try maybe waiting for me?" Riley asks Paige.

Paige looks at Riley. "Oh sorry hon," she apologizes.

"'Ello everyone," Riley greets us. "Alex, Beth, Jordan it's nice to see you again. How were your holidays?"

"They were good," I answer. "How was yours?"

Riley shrugs her shoulders. "My mum came to visit, that's always fun but I spent most of the time working." Riley looks over at Sage. "Hi, I'm Riley," she introduces herself and holds out her hand.

Sage smiles and shakes Riley's hand. "I'm Sage, it's very nice to meet you Riley."

Riley looks over at Paige and smirks. "It's very nice meeting you Sage."

I have a feeling that Paige might have told Riley some biased things about Sage.

"Well let's get you all's stuff to the hotel," Riley suggests.

Everyone picks up their own bags and we're following Riley and Paige. This is going to be a long spring break.

**Later in the Week:**

So far everything has gone smoothly. Well as smoothly as one would think it could go. Well there was the snow fight incident. Let's just say that two girls were aiming for each other quite a bit and one was succeeding more than the other. Sage use to play softball along with lacrosse so she has pretty good aim. Poor Paige never stood a chance. But they weren't the only ones. I had to practically tackle Alex to ground to stop her continuous assault on Riley. I can honestly say that the only sane ones on this trip are Beth and me. Well I guess Riley too since she doesn't seem to notice what's going on.

Right now Alex and I are in the hotel room hanging out. Sage and Beth have gone shopping and Paige is working on some designs for the upcoming fashion week in Vancouver. It's amazing how many things Paige can work on at once.

"I must admit this has been a relaxing spring break," I say out loud. "Except for the snowball fight since some people decided to become quite ridiculous."

"I told you Riley hit me in the face and I was trying to get payback," Alex defends herself for the one hundredth time.

"Yeah sure she did," I say sarcastically. "You just can't handle the fact that some other girl is interested in Paige and quite possibly Paige might be interested back."

Alex looks at me slightly shocked. "You don't really think Paige likes her do you?"

"Well they will be working closely together for awhile and they're already good friends. You of all people know what working together can lead to."

"Yeah but this is Paige, Paige Michalchuk. There's no way she's interested in Riley."

"Maybe you missed the part where we all got hot chocolate together after the snowball fight and Paige and Riley were getting quite cozy."

Oomph! Alex just threw a pillow at my face. Not cool, really not cool.

"Just shut up Jordan," Alex says. "You have no idea what you're talking aboot."

Ya know for someone who says they're in love with their current she sure does get mad every time I mention Paige and Riley.

**Different Day:**

I'm going to kill Paige, seriously. I don't know what she was thinking when she suggested this but I'm going to kill her. I'm "hanging out" with Alex and Riley right now in the hotel room while Beth and Sage are out shopping. Apparently Paige could sense that Alex isn't Riley's biggest fan so she thought it'd be a good idea for them to hang out. I was dragged into this because in cases anything happened Paige wanted me to be there to stop it. I suggested to Paige that she should hang out with Sage and that idea was shot down quickly.

"So Jordan I hear you're from Florida?" Riley asks me.

Ten minutes later and we're still doing small talk.

"Yeah, my family is originally from Tampa Bay, Florida," I answer.

"What made your parents want to move to Canada? Quite a difference in climate and culture, if I'm not mistaken."

"My dad's company transferred him and he figured it be good for the family. It ended up being great for me so in the long run I am glad that we moved."

"Sounds like a happy ending. And what about you Alex?"

"Naw, let's not talk aboot me," Alex says. "We should learn more aboot you Riley. I mean moving to L.A. all the way from England and now you're living in Vancouver. Your life is probably way more interesting than mine."

Riley laughs. "Not really," she says. "I grew up in Hertford with my mum, dad, and older brother. My dad was a banker while my mum was and still is a bookseller. My brother is in politics which is something I've always found politics to be quite boring."

"What made you get into film?" I ask.

"I use to go to the cinema all the time when I was younger and I just fell in love with films and the making of them."

"So you just decided to up and leave your family and friends and try your luck in America?" Alex asks.

"Well after graduating from school I took some course at London Film Academy but decided that I didn't want to be in school anymore learning but instead I wanted to be out in the real world doing things. So I packed my bags grabbed the last £100 I had and got on a plan to L.A."

"Wow, what an inspirational story," Alex says sarcastically. "And you didn't leave any kind of love interest back home?"

Riley is shaking her head. "Nope," she says simply.

Wait, did I just see a smirk on Riley's face? I would say that maybe I was imagining it but I do not imagine things like that. At least I don't think I do.

"I gotta get something from the next room I'll be back," I announce.

I go into me and Beth's room to get my cell phone to tell Paige that I'm going to kill her for putting me into this situation.

"So Alex now that's Jordan is gone how about you and me have a honest conversation?" I hear Riley ask Alex.

I creep to the doorway. I always hear things when I'm creeping around. Apparently no one can talk around me.

"What do you mean **mate**?" Alex asks. She says the word 'mate' in her fake British accent.

Riley chuckles. "And here I though Americans were bad at British accents but I see that Canadians are worse," she says. "And also I'm not your mate, but not because I don't want to be. I'd love to be friends with you since you're friends with Paigey but it seems like that's not what you want."

"I'm the only one that calls her Paigey."

"That's beside the point. I don't know if I made you mad and if I did then I don't know how but every since we first met in New York you've been giving me angry looks and I'm bloody tired of it. Maybe you're mad because I fancy Paige but last time I checked you have a girlfriend so that shouldn't matter."

"I'm looking out for Paige."

"No you're not. I know your history with Paige and I think you're jealous. You're upset that Paige is moving on because apparently it's ok for you to move on but not her."

"You have no idea what you're talking aboot Riley," Alex says angrily.

"Maybe I do and maybe I don't but I do know one thing. I really fancy Paige and I think she fancies me too and if she does well then you're just going to suck it up, aren't ya **mate**?"

Although I can't see Alex I'm pretty sure she has her fist balled up.

"It was nice having this chat with ya," Riley says. "I feel like we've really gotten to know each other."

I walk back into the living room. Riley is just smiling and Alex looks angry. Well at least there was no yelling or crying this year.


	42. JordanPaige Quality Time

**A/N: Yes I update twice in one day. =)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi or its characters. But I do own a Twitter account. you can follow me musicmonet =)  
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"Why do **you **get to go?"

"Because I don't have classes on Friday or Monday and because Mom and Dad said I could go."

"But we were just up there last month. Do you really need to go up there again?"

"Hey Paige asked me to come up there so I'm going to go up there. I think you need to calm down."

Ok, let me fill you in on what's going on. It's April which means the spring semester is slowly coming to an end. It also means it's time for Vancouver's Fashion Week because although it's barely spring it's time to show the designs for fall and winter. I quite frankly do not understand the fashion world but whatever. Anyway Paige called me and asked that although I was just up there if I'd come up to Vancouver. She said that she would have also asked Alex but she didn't want to cause anymore problems with Sage. Since I do not have any Friday or Monday classes I decided to go up there. And now Alex is having some kind of hissy fit.

"Listen do you really want to go up there?" I ask Alex. "I mean Riley is probably going to be everywhere and after last time…"

"Oh I could so take her!" Alex exclaims.

"But why would you need to? Listen while I'm gone this weekend you and Sage will have the place all to yourselves. Just remember that we eat off of that counter that's in the kitchen."

Alex is smirking. "Doesn't matter because we've already done it there," she says. Alex holds up two fingers. "Twice."

Ugh, I think I just threw up a little in my mouth. I definitely just shivered.

"Well I hope to God you cleaned the counter after you were done," I tell her, disgusted.

"Of course we did," Alex says. "We're not barbaric."

"No, you only have sex like rabbits all the time. And apparently all over the place."

Alex is looking down at the floor. Why does she look so guilty? Did I just see her glance at my bedroom door? Oh my God, please tell me they didn't.

"You didn't…"

Alex looks up with an apologetic look on her face. Uh, they did! I grab a pillow off the couch and throw it at her.

"Y'all had sex in my bed?" I yell.

"We didn't do it on purpose!" Alex exclaims.

"But you did it! You and Sage had sex in my bed!"

Oh my God, I think I'm about to throw up. I can fill the puke travelling from my stomach up to my esophagus.

"Please tell me you changed the sheets afterwards," I plead.

"Of course we changed the sheets!" Alex yells. "We're not THAT disgusting."

I'm pointing my finger at Alex angrily. "You are so lucky you're family or I would kill you right now." I pick up my bag that has my stuff for Vancouver in it. "You're lucky I'm going to Vancouver this weekend. SO LUCKY!"

I walk toward the front door. I hear Alex grab the car keys from the key hook and she's right behind me.

"Jordan I'm sorry!" she yells.

"You should be!"

Now I have to get a new mattress, great.

**Vancouver:**

I have to admit that Vancouver has a couple of things over Toronto. I'll admit that the air is a bit fresher here. And there's a lot of nature here that T.O. doesn't exactly have. If it wasn't for the fact that I'm an East Coast girl then I think I could live in Vancouver.

Paige's show was yesterday and it was amazing. Way more press at this one than her first show but I think that's because her name is a little better known now. Once again I received the pleasure of walking down the red carpet in a Michalchuk original. Everyone was telling me that I looked fabulous. I got to sit in the very front row this time. I was also sitting with Riley. I've found that without Alex by my side I can have a pretty decent conversation with Riley and she's actually not that bad.

Right now Paige and I are in a park swinging on the swings and eating ice cream cones. Her ice cream is strawberry while mine is vanilla.

"Your show was amazing last night Paige," I tell her.

Paige grins widely. "Thanks hon," she says. "It really means a lot to me that you flew all the way out here."

"Anything for you Paige. I have to admit that Alex was a tad bit jealous that I was invited and she wasn't."

"Really?"

I'm nodding my head. "Yeah and then I found out that she and Sage had sex in my bed."

A look of horror appears on Paige's face. "Oh no!"

I'm nodding my head sadly. "I'm going to have to get all new sheets and a new mattress now."

"Ew," Paige says disgusted. "Not only is that disgusting but it's also rude. I hope that wasn't revenge to you or something for being invited."

"Naw, I think it happened awhile ago, which pisses me off even more."

Paige laughs. "Well I would have invited her but I didn't want any more awkwardness with her and Riley and I know Sage wouldn't have been too pleased."

"How do you think I felt during Spring Break when I was in a room with you, Riley, Sage, and Alex? Thank God Beth was there or I would have exploded from the tension in the room."

Paige shrugs her shoulders. "Hon it is not my fault that Sage is such a bitch. Besides, I have no idea why Alex doesn't like Riley. It's not like Riley has ever done anything to her. I think if Alex got to know Riley she'd like her."

"And what's so great about Riley?" I ask. I really do want to know what Paige likes about her.

Paige is smiling a goofy grin. "Riley is just great hon. She's smart, sweet, funny, driven, and really confident. And that accent…"

I chuckle at the accent part. "Tell me more about how Riley is **really** confident."

Paige starts giggling like a school girl. "Umm… well… After Spring Break ended when everyone left Riley came up to me and confessed that she had feelings for me. And then… then she kissed me."

Whoa! I almost fell out of my swing just now. I regain my balance.

"And did you kiss her back?" I ask quickly.

Paige looks at me and nods her head.

"Well well, looks like Ms. Paige Michalchuk has found love in Vancouver," I say while wiggling my eyebrows. "Does this mean you and Riley are…"

Paige shrugs her shoulders. "I don't know," she says. "I mean we've gone on a few dates but nothing official. I'm still trying to figure out my own feelings."

"Well do you fancy Riley as well?"

Paige raises her eyebrow. "Fancy?" she asks. "Really Jordan?"

I shrug my shoulders. "I've been hanging out with Riley lately. Just answer the question."

"I don't know. I mean the only other girl I've liked before is Alex. I mean when I was with Alex I didn't have to put a label on myself because that was a onetime thing but if I start dating another girl does that make me a bisexual?"

I put my free hand on Paige's shoulder. "Paige, how many times do we have to go over this label thing?" I ask. "We're 20, well you're 21, but the fact is that we're not in high school anymore. We're adults and we don't and shouldn't care about what others think of us. If you like Riley, which I'm going to go ahead and say you do, then I say go for it."

"What aboot Alex though?" she asks, concerned.

"Are you asking in a way that you're wondering about romantic things between you and Alex or are you asking because you clearly know Alex does not like Riley and you don't want that to hurt your friendship since you're still rebuilding it?"

Paige is thinking about what I just ask. I have to admit that it was quite a long question.

"I think both hon," she answers. "Rebuilding my friendship with Alex is one of the most important things to me right now and I don't want to screw that up… again."

"Listen Paige, if you truly like Riley then I say be with her. Alex really does care about you and she cares about your happiness. If Riley makes you happy then Alex will be happy for you… eventually."

Paige is looking at me with happy and relieved eyes. Why does it look like she's about to cry?

"Paige, please tell me you're not about to cry," I tell her.

"I just realized how much I miss moments like these Jordan," she says. "You're such a great friend and you always know the right things to say."

"Well Paige you've been my friend since high school and you've kept my life really interesting."

I get off the swings and open my arms wide. I'm done with my ice cream cone so don't worry about that.

"Give me a hug," I tell Paige.

Paige smiles and get up from the swing. She wraps her arms around me.

"If you like Riley then be with her," I tell her. "Don't be afraid, no regrets."

"Thanks Jordan, for everything."

"Anything for you Paige."

It's moments like these that make me the happiness. When I know I've helped a friend. But I have a feeling that although I just helped Paige I might have just signed my own death warrant.  


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**A/N: Only 26 more chapters to go and one week to do them. Wish me luck!**


	43. Jordan's Finally 21!

**A/N: I don't really have an author's note since I update last night. umm... Merry Christmas everyone!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi or its characters. But I do own a $25 gift card to AMC =)  


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**Today is the day! Today is an INTERNATIONAL holiday! This day 21 years ago a baby girl was born. A baby girl that would not only change a nation but would change TWO nations. That's right, today is my birthday. Not only is it my birthday but it's my 21st birthday, and in the United States of America 21 is a big deal. I can now legally purchase and consume alcoholic beverages, though I've been drinking since 18, and I can now gamble. And to celebrate such a big birthday I thought it was only appropriate to throw a big birthday bash.

I've decided to throw this bash where it all started. That's right, we're in Tampa baby! Everyone is here, friends from T.O., friends from FSU, and family of course. Mom, Brian, and Major flew out here earlier in the week. Mom and Brian of course went to visit their parents. Grandpa and Grandma Johnson haven't seen Major since the week he was born. The Johnson grandparents don't travel much.

The party tonight is going to be HUGE! You know those Sweet 16 parties you see on MTV? Well imagine that times 10! Mom and Brian got me this HUGE venue. There's going to be booze galore at this place, though you have to have special stamps on your hands and a blue wrist band to drink any alcohol. I would hate to get shut down and go to jail for having underage drinking at this party. This party is strictly for me and my homies. I already had a family party earlier today. Now I must admit that it was hard to get some of my FSU friends out here to Tampa because school is out so most people went back to their home states but I was able to get most people, including Josh and some of his KAP brothers. It wouldn't be a party without the KAP boys.

Mom and Brian are at the venue right now to make sure everything is in place. Alex and I are currently in the hotel room and I got for me and Beth. Now unlike those Sweet 16 parties you see on MTV I told people that they could dress casual. It's too hot to be dressing up nicely.

"Tonight's party is going to be sick!" I tell Alex.

"I still don't see why you're having this huge bash," she says.

"This is my 21st birthday Alex. Turning 21 is a big deal here in the states. It means that I am no longer a child. I can do anything I want now."

"I thought turning 18 meant you were no longer a child."

"Turning 18 just meant that I could stay out past midnight. Being 21 tells people that I can make my own decisions and that I stand by them."

"Wow, I didn't know a number could say all that," she says sarcastically.

"I could disinvite you to this party," I say seriously. "You'd miss the biggest party Florida has EVER seen."

Alex approaches me. "You wouldn't disinvite your own sister would you?" Alex is giving me the sad eyes puppy dog look.

"No," I tell her. Now she's smiling. "But only because Mom and Dad wouldn't allow it."

"Doesn't matter to me, as long as I get to go." Alex plops down on the couch.

_Knock, knock._

"It's open!" Alex yells.

Alex is so lazy sometimes. Beth and Sage walk into the room. Wow, it just got ten degrees hotter in here. Alex looks at Sage and immediately stands up. Sage is wearing a black taffeta sweetheart dress. It's strapless and very short. Sage has her hair down, slightly curly, just the way Alex likes it, which I shouldn't know but I do. But enough about Sage because my full attention is on my lovely sexy girlfriend, Beth. Beth is wearing a very hot blue halter dress that is hugging her in all the right places. I look down at what I'm wearing. I'm wearing rolled up cargo shorts and a short sleeve button down shirt. I feel completely underdressed now.

"You look amazing," I tell Beth.

Beth smiles. "Thank you. You don't look too bad yourself."

"Really? Because you look hot and you look like you're ready for the club. I look like I'm about to go skating or something."

Beth walks over to me and kisses me on the cheek. "You look good Jordan. Besides tonight is all aboot you so you're going to look good no matter what."

"See this is why I love you so much."

Beth and I share a very loving kiss. I look over at Sage and smile.

"You look very nice Sage," I tell her.

"Thanks Jordan," she says happily.

Sage reaches into her clutch and pulls out an envelope. She hand the envelope to me. It says _Happy Birthday _on it.

"Sage you didn't have to get me anything," I tell her.

"I know but I wanted to. Plus I think you're REALLY going to like this present."

I open the envelope. Oh my God! Oh my God!

"Oh my God!" I exclaim. I take the tickets out of the envelope. "These are tickets to the Orlando-Cleveland Conference Final game!"

Sage is smiling and nodding her head. "Yeah, I know. My dad sold a car to one of the players on the Magic for a really good price."

"Oh my God! One of these teams is going to play L.A. in the Finals!"

"You don't know for sure that L.A. is going to be in the Finals Jordan. Nuggets could beat them."

"Psh yeah right, in their loser dreams. Sage, thank you so much."

I hug Sage, showing my appreciation for the tickets. So far this has been the best birthday EVER.

_Knock, knock._

"It's open!" Alex yells. She's too occupied looking at Sage to open the door I guess.

Paige, Ellie, and Marco enter the room. Yep, Paige, Ellie, and Marco flew all the way down to Tampa for my big birthday bash. Paige was able to get time off from the movie, but only for two days. My parents paid for Ellie and Marco's flight down here but Marco has to be back in Toronto Sunday afternoon because believe it or not he's a student teacher at Degrassi so he has to work on Monday. Unfortunately Riley could not get time off from the movie but she sent me a virtual birthday card. To my knowledge only Marco, Beth, and I know about Paige's relationship with Riley. Hey I know what you're thinking but there is no way in hell I'm telling Alex about it myself. I'd rather not die at the tender age of 21.

"Of course you two look fabulous," I tell Paige, Ellie, and Marco.

Ellie is wearing ripped jeans with a grey spaghetti strap shirt and a black spaghetti strap shirt underneath. Marco is wearing dark fitted jeans with a grey short sleeve button down dress shirt and a black bowtie. Paige is wearing a simple short black and white dress but with a few touches of her own. Paige also has her hair down, slightly curly. I look over at Alex. It seems that I'm not the only one that thinks Paige looks nice.

"Beth hon, you look amazing," Paige tells Beth. "I LOVE that dress on you."

"Thanks Paige," Beth says. "As always you look fantastic."

Paige smiles. "Thanks hon." She turns her attention to Sage. "Sage you look very nice," Paige says and it sounds like she actually means it.

"Thanks Paige," Sage says. "You look nice as well. I love the necklace."

Paige touches the necklace she's wearing. "Thank you. My friend, Paul Scott, designed it for me."

A look of surprise and shock appears on Sage's face. "You know Paul Scott?" she asks.

"Yep," Paige answers. "He actually has a house in Vancouver. He's been helping out with the movie. He's really nice and funny."

I feel a vibration in my pocket. I pull out my phone and flip it open.

"Limo's downstairs waiting for us," I announce to the group. "Let's go party!"

**Birthday Bash:**

The group and I just pulled up to my party. If you want proof that this is the biggest party in Florida then I have your proof. As soon as I got out of the limo I heard cheering. There's a red carpet and there's guests and photographers acting like maniacs. I told you my birthday was a national holiday. The rest of the group gets out of the limo. We all pose on the red carpet for a group picture. There're a few reporters here from Fashion Weekly and other fashion outlets. Someone might have tipped them off that Paige Michalchuk would be here.

After spending sometime on the red carpet we finally all go inside. Damn this place is packed and it is hoppin! The DJ is playing some awesome music and everyone is out on the dance floor.

"The birthday girl has arrived!" DJ Incredible announces.

A bright spotlight finds me and I have now been blinded for life. Everyone is clapping and cheering. I grab Beth's hand and make our way to the stage. DJ Incredible hands me the microphone.

"How's everyone doin tonight?" I ask.

The crowd explodes into cheers and woo's.

"That's what I'm talking about!" I yell. "I'd just like to thank EVERYONE for coming out tonight, especially those who travelled. My birthday has always meant a lot to me and I'm so happy I could spend it with all my friends and some strangers this year! But remember that there are two rules: number one, no underage drinking!"

I hear some aws and boos.

"I'm serious y'all!" I yell. "I don't want to go to jail tonight for having underage drinkers. If you are over the age of 21 then you got a special stamp on your hands and a blue wrist band when you entered the party. If you're under 21 then you got black X's written across your hands. Do not try to wash that off because the bouncers used a special marker that doesn't wash off for two days. Legal drinkers do not give an underage person a drink. I'll be very sad if my party is interrupted by someone's stupidity. Rule number two, no fighting! Seriously, the only fists I want to see tonight are fists in the air pumping to the music. Other than that I want everyone to have a good time tonight!"

I hand the microphone back to DJ Incredible.

"Now let's get this party started!" he yells.

Lady Gaga's "_Just Dance_" starts playing through the loud speakers and everyone starts dancing. Beth and I get off the stage and join the others on the dance floor.

**Couple Hours Later:**

The party is still going strong. There are a few people who are little wasted but nothing serious. We cut the cake about an hour ago. HUGE cake, very beautiful, very good. Right now I'm on the dance floor with Beth, Ellie, Alex, Sage, Paige, and Marco. Paige and Alex are clearly a little tipsy. Did you know that Alex and Paige both love tequila? Yeah, it's true.

"So this next song was requested by the birthday girl," DJ Incredible announces. "I wanna see some hot dancing out there!"

_Throw Ya Belly _by Evren starts blaring through the speakers. Hell yeah I requested this song! I see both Paige and Alex smile at each other. Paige points at Alex and does the "come here" motion with her finger. Alex walks over to Paige and they start dancing together. Beth presses her body against mine as we start dancing. Man, I LOVE this song! Alex and Paige are almost doing the exact dance moves that they did those many years ago at the after party. I look over at Sage. Damn, someone looks very unhappy.

"You asked for this song?" Beth yells in my ear so I can hear her over the music.

"Yeah!" I answer. "It's the perfect song for everyone to dance to!"

"You just wanted to see Paige and Alex dancing together!"

"Not true but hey it was a plus!"

We continue our very hot dancing. I should have asked the DJ to play this last because now I just want to take Beth back to the hotel and have my way with her. The song ends and another one begins. Alex and Paige are laughing and hugging each other. I feel the need to get another drink.

"I'm going to go to the bar!" I tell Beth.

Beth nods her head. "Ok!"

Beth grabs Marco and begins dancing with him. Good, that means I don't have to worry about anyone trying to get on her. I grab Alex's arm.

"Let's go to the bar!" I tell her.

"Yeah!" she yells back. Yeah she's definitely tipsy.

Alex and I make our way to the bar. We show the bouncer of the bar our stamps and wristbands and then when we get to the actual bar we show the bartender our stamps and wristbands. Like I said, I'm trying to have no underage drinking at this party.

"Four shots of tequila Bobby!" I tell the bartender.

"Four shots?" Alex asks.

"Two for you and two for me of course!"

"Of course!" Alex starts laughing.

Bobby hands us the shots. Alex and I count to three and take the first ones.

"Woo!" I yell.

"Time for the next ones!" Alex yells.

We each take our shot glasses and raise them in the air.

"Here's to you turning 21!" Alex yells. "You are an awesome sister and an amazing person!"

"No, you're amazing!"

Alex and I clink our glasses together. We throw our heads back and drink our shots.

"So you and Paige dancing was a hot scene," I tell her. "Bit of a flashback too."

"Yeah," Alex agrees. "I forgot how much fun it is to dance with her." Alex places a hand on my shoulder. "Thank you for playing that song. You're the best."

"I know right!"

I turn my head and look out into the crowd. Everyone is still having a good time. Now I know what you're thinking. There is a drinking limit and no one is driving home tonight. I already have something set up with a taxi company that's going to take everyone home. Uh-oh, I see a very angry girlfriend heading our way.

"Yo, your girlfriend is coming this way," I tell Alex. "And she doesn't look too please."

Alex looks in the direction I'm looking. Slight fear appears on Alex's face. Wow she must really be afraid because Alex just took another shot.

"Hey beautiful," Alex greets Sage.

"Lexie what was that out there?" Sage asks.

"What are you talking aboot?"

"What am I talking about? You and Paige, dancing to that song. That was an awful steamy dance between two **friends**."

"Exactly, FRIENDS. Paige and I are just friends. I don't understand why you get upset aboot her all the time."

"Because she clearly still wants you and for some reason you're too blind to see that!"

"No I see it but I ignore it!"

A look of shock appears on Sage's face. I'm also kind of shocked, but I'm also kind of drunk right now so… I think Alex is also drunk because she's not being very smart right now.

"I know Paige still has feelings for me but it doesn't matter because I'm with you," Alex tells Sage.

Alex places her hands on Sage's arms. Sage shakes off Alex's hands.

"It does matter Lexie!" Sage says. "How do I know Paige isn't planning some plot to try to get you back?"

"Try to get me back?" Alex asks in disbelief. "How is Paige been trying to get me back when she has spent the last five months in Vancouver? This whole thing is aboot **you **not trusting **me**!"

"That's not true Lexie! I trust you, I just don't trust your friendship with Paige."

Alex throws her hands into the air. "Why not?"

"Because I know what you had with her Lexie."

"But what I had with Paigey is nothing compared to what I have with you. We've been together for two years now Sage. I love you and I just don't understand why that's not enough for you."

Sage's eyes have narrowed and she has her arms crossed.

"You just called her Paigey," Sage says. "There's my point."

Alex runs a hand through her hair. "I'm tired of this," she says. "I'm tired of you feeling so self conscious whenever Paige is around. You should trust me and if you can't then maybe we shouldn't be together."

A look of sadness appears on Sage's face but it is quickly replaced with anger.

"Fine!" she yells! "Maybe we shouldn't!"

"Fine!" Alex yells.

"Fine!"

Sage is now walking away. What just happened? I look at Alex.

"What just happened?" I ask her.

Alex sighs. "I think Sage and I just broke up," she says sadly. Alex turns to the bar. "Bobby, give me a Tropical Orgasm with extra rum."

"Umm Alex, you don't think that's a bit much?" I ask.

Alex is shaking her head. "It is a party after all," she says.

Bobby hands Alex the drink. Whoa! Alex just chugged the whole thing.

"Another," she tells Bobby.

I lean over the counter. "Bobby this one will be her last one," I tell him.

Bobby nods his head. I pat Alex on the shoulder.

"Just relax ok?" I tell her. "And don't do anything stupid."

I walk back into the crowd. I have to find Beth and tell her what just happened.

**Hours Later:**

It's two in the morning so the party is starting to wind down. It's really only about fifty people here now. I'm looking for Alex. I have no idea where she is. Beth was watching her but then she got really tired so I told her she could go back to the hotel. Jeez, there are so many goddamn rooms in this place. I walk to the bar to see if Alex is still there, I hope she isn't.

Whoa! Is that Sage? Who the hell is she kissing? Sage is kissing some girl I've never seen before in my life. Wow, been broken up for like two hours and already Sage is rebounding. That girl is fast. I definitely need to find Alex now.

I walk into a hallway that has a bunch of doors. I hate these kinds of hallways. I'm opening door after door. Two have them have been bathrooms and one of them was the janitor's closet. They should really label these doors. Maybe Alex is in this one. I open the door. Well I found her, and I also found Paige. I crack the door open so they don't know I'm here.

"Lexie, you're drunk," Paige says slightly slurred. I think Paige is only a bit tipsy.

"No," Alex slurs. "I'm under the influence of alcohol."

"That's the same thing hon."

Alex looks at Paige. "Paige you look really perdy."

Did Alex just say "perdy"? Oh lord.

Paige laughs. "Thanks hon, you look nice as well. Maybe we should go find Sage."

Alex is shaking her head. "No," she says firmly. "I don't want to talk to Sage, I don't even want to see her."

A look of concern appears on Paige's face. "Did some happen between you two?" she asks.

"I don't want to talk aboot it," Alex says.

Alex is looking at Paige really weirdly. Why is she looking at Paige like she's about to do something? Alex pushes a strand of hair behind Paige's ear. Now she's leaning into Paige.

"Paigey I'm really glad we're friends again," she says. "I really missed you."

Paige smiles. "I really missed you too hon."

Alex just closed her eyes and she's still leaning in. Alex places her hand on Paige's cheek. Oh my God, she isn't…

HOLY! OH MY GOD! They're kissing! Paige and Alex are kissing! They're actually kissing. Paige's eyes open and she pulls away. She's shaking her head.

"I can't do this," Paige says. "I'm sorry Lexie but this isn't right."

Paige gets up and she's heading this way. I run down to the end of the hallway. I'm walking back down the hallway like this is my first time down here. Paige is walking toward me. She's looking down at the ground.

"Hey Paige," I greet her. "Have you seen Alex?"

Paige looks up at me. She has a look of shock and guilt on her face.

"Um yeah hon," she says. "She's in the room down there. Aboot four doors down."

I nod my head. "Thanks Paige. Hey, are you ok?"

Paige nods her head. "Yeah I'm just going to go to the hotel now. Get some rest. Happy Birthday Jordan."

"Thanks Paige. I'll see you later."

Paige walks away. I'm walking back to the room where Alex is. I enter the room and Alex is passed out on the couch. I'm shaking my head.

"Or Alex," I say.

I can say one thing. This was an eventful birthday. I wonder how eventful the morning after will be.  


* * *

**A/N: What consequences will the group have to face in the morning? hmm...**


	44. The Morning After

**A/N: My last update was four hours ago so I don't have anything new to say.**

**Disclaimer: Do I really have to say I don't own Degrassi? I mean if I owned Degrassi I wouldn't be writing fanfic.  


* * *

**Hangover, noun, defined as the disagreeable physical aftereffects of drunkenness, such as a headache or stomach disorder, usually felt several hours after cessation of drinking. I can honestly say that a lot of people in the city of Tampa have hangovers right now, but I'm not one of those people. You want to know why? Because of my lovely girlfriend, that's why. See after the party was over I had help getting Alex back to the hotel with me. I wanted to leave her in her room but I figured that wouldn't have been safe in the state that she was in and also she's sharing that room with Sage so it was really just out of the question. So I got to my room and there were four bottles of water and some aspirin waiting for us. I was able to get Alex to drink half a bottle of water so she'll probably feel horrible when she wakes up but I drank three bottles of water before I went to bed and I feel fine. Actually I feel more than fine because this morning I woke up in the arms of my girlfriend. Best birthday ever.

"Do you feel like getting up yet?" Beth asks tiredly.

"No, do you?" I ask.

"No," she answers. "I could stay in this bed with you in my arms all day."

I smile. "I like your answer." I lean up and kiss her.

I hear a soft knocking at the door. The door slowly cracks open.

"I'm not interrupting anything am I?" Alex whispers.

I roll my eyes. "No Alex, you're not," I tell her. "Come on it."  
Alex opens the door and walks in. Wow, she looks rough. Her hair is all over the place and her makeup is smeared all over her face. Alex sort of looks like a sad clown right now.

"You look rough," I tell her.

"Jordan, what did we talk aboot?" Beth asks. "Think before you speak."

"But then honest things wouldn't spill out of my mouth," I tell her and smile. I look at Alex. "What's up?"

"Can I talk to you?" Alex asks.

I nod my head. "Sure."

I kiss Beth on the cheek and hop out of bed. It's ok because I'm wearing a wife beater and boxers. I follow Alex out into the living room. She sits on the couch and I sit next to her.

"How you feeling?" I ask.

Alex groans. "Horrible," she says. "I had way too much to drink last night."

"Yeah you did. You asked for a Tropical Orgasm, extra rum."

Alex groans and falls back into the couch. "Well that would probably explain why a lot of last night is a blur right now."

"And you want me to tell you what happened?"

Alex is nodding her head. I sigh, well here we go.

"Well first of all just know you were having a very fun time. Dancing, laughing, and drinking. We were all having a good time. And then _"Throw Ya Belly" _came on."

"And I danced with Paige and Sage got upset at me," Alex says. "I remember us arguing. And I think we broke up."

"Now I can't exactly answer that for you but yeah it seemed like you two broke up."

"Well if Sage and I broke up then why do I remember kissing a blonde girl at the end of the night?"

"Well…"

Instead of me telling Alex I'm going to let her get to that conclusion herself. Alex is looking at me and I'm doing the "come on, you got it" hand motion. A look of realization appears on Alex's face. Now a look of shock and slight guilt is on her face.

"I kissed Paige…" she says quietly.

I nod my head. "Yeah, you kissed Paige."

"Oh my God, I kissed Paige."

"Yep."

"And then she pulled away."

"Yep."

Alex turns her head and looks at me. "You were standing at the door watching us like a creeper, weren't you?"

I nod my head. "Yep. But in my defense I was looking for you not you AND Paige."

Alex buries her face in her hands. "What am I going to do?" she asks.

I think this is a rhetorical question so I'm not going to say anything.

"Hours after the girl I love and I break up I go running back to my ex," Alex continues. "How am I suppose to face Paige or Sage again?"

"Well you were drunk when you kissed Paige and I think the 'break up' between you and Sage was more of a lover's quarrel. But the real question is how did that kiss with Paige make you feel?"

Alex shrugs her shoulders. "I don't know. I barely remember even kissing her. I was just upset about the break up with Sage and like Emily I turned to alcohol."

I place my hand on Alex's shoulder. "Hey, this isn't that big of a deal," I tell her. "It's not like you went on a crazy drinking binge for half a semester and dated some girl you knew you would never love."

Alex is nodding her head. "True, I didn't pull a Jordan."

"Ok we're not naming that situation after me. Do you know what you're going to do?"

"There's no decision to be made," Alex says. "Sage and I had a big argument and I got upset and with the help of alcohol I made a mistake. That's it, case closed."

"You sure?" I ask.

Alex is nodding her head. "Yeah, it was one drunken kiss."

"Ok, well how about you just relax for the next couple of hours? Drink some water, eat some food, and take a shower."

"Yeah I should do that. Thanks Jordan."

"No problem."

I get up from the couch and go back to the bedroom. Beth is sitting up now watching television. I grab a pair of sweats and a shirt from the dresser and put them on.

"Going to go talk to Paige?" Beth asks.

I nod my head. "Of course," I answer. "I'll be back later."

I walk over to the bed and kiss Beth.

"I'm sure you'll probably talk to Paige after I talk to her," I say.

"Probably," Beth answers.

"Alrighty, see you later."

I leave the bedroom and then our suite. I get into the elevator and go up to the tenth floor. I walk to Paige, Marco, and Ellie's suite and knock on the door. Marco answers the door. Wow, apparently Alex is not the only person looking like crap this morning.

"Hi Marco," I greet him loudly and happily.

Marco winces. "Jordan, too loud," he says.

"Oh I'm sorry," I lower my voice. "Is Paige here?"

Marco moves over and opens the door wider.

"She's in her room," he answers. "I'm going back to bed."

I knock on Paige's door.

"Come in!" she shouts.

I walk into the bedroom. Paige is sitting on her bed talking on her phone.

"Yeah it kind of just happened hon," Paige says into the phone. The other person on the phone is saying something. "Yeah I did pull away." The other person does their talking. "Thanks for being so understanding hon. I'll see you when I get back. Bye."

Paige presses the end button on her call .She looks up at me.

"If I said I was surprised to see you here then I'd be lying," she says.

Paige pats the spot next to her on the bed. I sit down.

"You probably already know why I'm here," I tell her.

Paige is nodding her head. "Let me guess hon," she starts. "You were looking for Alex so you decided to go down one of the hallways and check every room. How am I doing so far?"

"You're doing great. Continue."

"Ok, so you're checking every room. You open one of the doors to the room and see Alex and me there. Now you're Jordan Johnson and when it comes to things aboot Alex and/or me you can't help but be a creeper. So you slightly opened the door and watched the scene that unfolded in front of you. How was that?"

I'm chuckling. "You're very good Michalchuk," I tell her.

"Or maybe you're just predictable Johnson."

I do a fake gasp and place a hand over my chest. "Paige how could you ever say such a horrible thing? Me, predictable? Never."

Paige laughs. "Or maybe our lives are just becoming predictable."

"When you woke up yesterday did you think your night would end with Alex kissing you?"

Paige is shaking her head. "I guess our lives aren't THAT predictable yet. So what does this mean?"

"What does what mean?"

Paige sighs. "The kiss hon. What does the kiss mean?"

"Now that is one of the very many questions in this universe that I cannot answer. Only you and Alex know what that kiss meant."

"You're not going to give me one of you very deep and interpretative speeches are you?"

"Not this time. But I will say this. You and Alex have a long history. You have to ask yourself if you want to start this whole thing again or do you just want to chalk that kiss up to Alex being very drunk and slightly sad."

Paige sighs and looks up at the ceiling. I look up at the ceiling as well. I see nothing interesting up there.

"I want to make this thing between Riley and I work out," Paige says.

"Then that's what the kiss meant to you." I stand up. "You didn't even need me to give you a speech."

Paige stands up as well. "I guess I'm finally growing up," she says.

I wipe away an imaginary tear. "And I am so proud of you," I tell her dramatically.

Paige laughs. "Alright time for you to leave now."

I wave good-bye. "Ta ta!"

I exit the suite and make my way back to the elevator. I need to make one more stop. I press the button for the seventh floor. I get out of the elevator and make my way to room 717. I knock on the suite door. Sage opens the door. Wow she looks worse than the others. Not only is Sage's hair fucked up but there's dried mascara running down her face and her eyes are puffy and red.

"Can I come in?" I ask.

Sage just nods her head. She moves over to allow me to enter the suite. Sage sits down and I sit down beside her.

"How long have you been crying?" I ask.

"Since I got back from the party last night," she answers.

Wow she sounds so sad. This is almost breaking my heart.

"Please tell me Lexie came back to the hotel with you," Sage pleads.

I'm nodding my head. "Don't worry, I took care of Alex. I came to see how you're doing."

"Horribly," Sage grumbles.

"Well I need to ask you about something. Something that I saw last night." I take a breath. "Sage last night I saw you kissing someone. Some girl I've never seen before."

Whoa, wow is Sage crying now? This girl just busted into tears.

"I mess up Jordan!" she cries out.

"Did you sleep with this girl?" I ask carefully.

Sage looks at me with a look of disbelief on her face. "Of course not!" she says, sounding offended. "I would never do something like that to Lexie. It stopped at kissing."

I'm nodding my head. "Ok, tell me exactly what happened."

Sage sighs. "After the whole fight with Lexie I was really upset. I just couldn't understand how she couldn't see the situation from my point of view. I mean everyone knows Paige and Alex have a long complicated history together. I can't help how I get when Paige comes around. I mean how would you feel if one of Beth's exes decided to be friends with her again and started popping up everywhere and invited her to New York and Vancouver and Timbuktu?"

Ok, she had me until the Timbuktu part. But I do kind of understand where Sage is coming from. If John asshole Stokes started poppin up everywhere I'd probably be on Channel 5 news for killing him.

"Here's the thing Sage," I start. "No matter what Paige is always going to be in Alex's life, mostly because Paige will always be in my life but also because those two have just gone through so much together."

"I understand that they're friends Jordan but I can't help how I feel," Sage says. "I don't like the feeling that any day Alex might decide that she still loves Paige and goes back to her."

I put my hand on Sage's shoulder. "Hey, Alex loves you," I tell her. "She really loves you and I don't think you have to worry about her leaving you. I just think you two just need to have a calm honest talk about it."

Sage looks at me and I can see a tiny smile on her face.

"You'd make a great counselor ya know," she says.

"Naw, then I'd be surrounded by people's problems all day," I tell her. "I can only handle the problems that deal with this small circle of friends."

"That's understandable. Thank Jordan."

"No problem."

Sage and I hug. I let go of her and wipe away a tear that was making its way down her cheek.

"Talk to Alex," I tell her.

Sage nods her head. "Ok."

I walk over to the door and open it. "I'll see you later," I tell her. I exit the suite.

Three people, two kisses. There are some decisions that need to be made. Like right now I need to decide if I want waffles or pancakes. I think I'm going to go with French toast today. Yum…  


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**A/N: Only 24 more chapters to go!**


	45. Futures

**A/N: That's right! I triple posted in ONE day! WOO!**

**Disclaimer: Quite frankly I'm tired of this. I don't really think anyone is going to sue me if I don't say I do not own Degrassi or its characters.  


* * *

**Senior year, the most important year of college. Everything has come down to this year. Everything from elementary school to this very year. After this year I will finally have to enter the "real world". Let me catch you up on what has happened since my birthday. After my birthday Alex and Sage made up. They once again became a happy couple with the normal couple arguments here and there. Paige told Alex about her relationship with Riley. To an outsider Alex appeared to have taken the news well but I know that secretly she was pissed off but after having that huge argument with Sage she couldn't clearly show how she felt about Paige being with Riley.

Summer break was an interesting one. Paige of course stayed in Vancouver to continue working on the movie and to work on her fashion line. Beth and I went back home to Toronto where I was once again interned at 101.5 and Beth volunteered at the Toronto Animal Hospital and at the local animal shelter. Alex got a volunteer job at a physical rehab center in Tallahassee and Sage got a nonpaid internship with Palmer Electronics. Of course throughout the summer when she could Alex would come home. She came home for Major's birthday where she gave him a baseball glove and bat. Now Major is obsessed with baseball.

Now we're back in school for our final year. Of course after this Sage and Alex are going to be going on to graduate school. Beth will be moving on to Veterinary school. I on the other hand have decided to just get my bachelor's in communication and then try to enter the field right after graduation. It's a bit risky but I'll take my chances.

Right now we're all at the apartment and by all I mean Alex, Sage, Beth, and I. It's still pretty early in the semester so Beth was able to come up and visit. I probably won't see her again till Thanksgiving because I know sometime this semester she'll be taking some type of test to see if she has what it takes to get into veterinary school. Alex is also slightly freaking out because she's worried she won't get accepted into any physiotherapy programs since there are so few, although she has like a 3.9 GPA. Sage seems confident she'll get into one of the top business programs at one of the top schools in the country.

Currently Alex and Sage are sitting together on the couch while I'm sitting in the arm chair with Beth on my lap.

"So what do you two plan on doing next year?" Sage asks.

We've been talking about our futures. Something I know Alex isn't big on.

"I'll go wherever Beth goes," I tell them. "Radio is everywhere."

Beth looks at me. "Really?"

"Of course, I know there aren't a lot of veterinary schools so if you end up going to one in Montana then I'll move to Montana with you."

"Aw, you're so sweet. I was actually thinking aboot going back to Canada. I mean Florida is nice but I miss my family, I miss a familiar area."

I'm nodding my head. "Then back to Toronto it is."

"Really? Because Jordan I know how much you love being back in Florida."

"Yeah but let's face it, Florida isn't exactly yay gay. I mean if we stayed in Florida we wouldn't even be allowed to adopt here. I want to live somewhere where no matter where we go you are my wife and it doesn't take us 20 years to adopt, if we plan on adopting."

"I never thought aboot that," Alex says.

"Well I personally want to move to New York," Sage announces.

Alex looks over at Sage with a confused look on her face. "You do?" she asked. "I never knew that."

"Well if I want to become the CEO of some big business corporation I need to be in New York City. Besides New York is close to Canada and gay marriage is recognized there."

"Yeah I guess…" Alex says.

Alex doesn't seem too sure about New York. I feel like Alex and Sage haven't had the "after college" talk. I mean Beth and I have talked about it before and I decided long ago that I would move to whatever city Beth needed to be in for school. After spending four years apart from her I don't want to spend any more time separated from her.

"Well you know you could always become a CEO in Toronto," Alex tells Sage.

"I like Toronto, don't get me wrong," Sage starts. "But I don't know if I could really ever live in Canada. I mean it's a nice place to visit but…"

Alex looks slightly annoyed. "But what?" she asks. "Canada isn't good enough for you?"

"Maybe we should change the subject," Beth says quickly.

"Yeah, what about those Dolphins eh?" I ask. I have no idea what I'm talking about. I don't even follow football.

"We'll talk about this later," Sage whispers.

"Yeah…" Alex agrees.

_Knock, knock._

"Are we expecting someone?" I ask.

Alex and Sage are both shaking their heads.

"Well get the door," I tell Alex.

"Why do I have to get it?" she asks.

"Well clearly I'm not going to ask Beth to get off my lap."

Alex rolls her eyes but gets up from the couch anyway. Alex opens the front door.

"Surprise!" the mystery person says. Hey, that person sounds like Paige.

"Paige!" Alex exclaims.

Beth and I instantly get up from the armchair. Alex and Paige share a hug. Paige walks into the apartment and ride behind her is Riley.

"'Ello Alex," Riley greets Alex.

"Riley," Alex greets her back.

"Paige!" I exclaim. I wrap my arms around Paige in a friendly hug. "It's so good to see you!"

"Nice to see you too hon!" Paige says. Paige looks at Beth. "Beth I didn't expect you to be here but I'm glad you are."

"Hey Paige," Beth greets Paige. They share a hug.

Riley walks over to me. "'Ello mate," Riley greets me. "How are you?"

"I'm great Riley," I answer. "How's the movie going?"

"Bloody brilliant, hard work but I know it's going to be worth it." Riley looks around me and at Beth. "'Ello Beth, you look good."

"Thanks Riley," Beth says. "You look good as well. I see you no longer have the lip ring."

"Nope," Riley says. "It seems that it was very unprofessional. At least that's what the old blokes told me. I think they were jealous of my piece of jewelry."

"Yeah, that was it," Alex says sarcastically.

I ignore Alex's comment because quite frankly I don't feel like dealing with her. I turn my attention to Paige.

"So Paige, what brings you and Riley to Florida?" I ask.

"Well hon I haven't seen you since your birthday and Riley and I got a few days off from work so we decided to come to sunny Florida to visit. Plus I need some inspiration for my summer line."

"Summer just ended though."

"Exactly, therefore I need to start thinking aboot next summer."

I look over at Riley. Riley shrugs her shoulders at me.

"Don't look at me mate," she says. "I don't understand it either. The fashion world is bloody confusing to me."

"So where are you two staying?" I ask.

"At the Hilton Garden Inn," Paige says. "Quite beautiful actually."

"Speaking of Hilton," Riley starts. "Did Paigey tell you how when we went down to L.A. a few months ago we saw Paris Hilton driving? Scared the shit out of me."

"I bet," Sage says. "Paris Hilton is one scary driver."

Riley is nodding her head. "Tell me about it." Riley turns her attention to Paige. "Anyway Love we should probably get back to the hotel. We haven't unpacked or anything."

"I was really excited to see all of you," Paige says. "So as soon as we dropped our stuff off at the hotel we got the driver to drives us straight over here. But I was thinking that maybe tonight we could all have dinner."

"That'd be nice," Beth says.

"I'm in," I tell them.

"What aboot you two?" Paige asks Alex and Sage.

Alex and Sage are looking at each other. It seems like Alex wants to say yes but she's not too sure.

"We're paying of course," Riley says.

Yeah because it was the bill that was the deciding factor for them.

"Well I was plan on getting take-out but an actual dinner sounds good," Sage says. "Of course that's if you want." Sage looks at Alex.

Alex is nodding her head. "Yeah, I'm good with going out tonight."

"And where will we be going tonight?" I ask.

A huge smile appears on Paige's face. She seems really excited about this.

"The Melting Pot," she announces.

Oh my God, yes! I effin LOVE the Melting Pot. I don't get to go there that often because it is quite expensive. Now I'm really glad Riley and Paige are paying for this.

"I LOVE the Melting Pot," I tell Paige. "Good choice, GREAT choice."

Paige laughs. "Well hon I'm glad you're as excited aboot it as I am. Reservations are set for eight o'clock so don't be late."

"Alright Paige, see you then," Alex says. Alex walks Riley and Paige to the door.

"So tonight is like a triple date," Beth says. "Should be fun."

I'm nodding my head. "Yep, it should be oodles of fun, **oodles**."

**The Melting Pot:**

Did you know that the very first Melting Pot opened in Maitland, Florida? The second opened in Tallahassee. The actual headquarters of The Melting Pot are located in Tampa. Let's just say that The Melting Pot is huge in Florida. Every time I come here for some reason I feel a tad bit classier. Alex, Sage, Beth, and I are rode over here together, of course. We met up with Riley and Paige ate the hostess' booth. The hostess quickly seated us. I think she recognized Paige. We're all sitting in a booth right now.

"Why did I have to be the one sitting on the outside?" Beth asks.

"Because you have the bladder of a mouse," I answer.

Beth is at one end of the booth with me beside her. Sitting by me is Sage and then Alex. Besides Alex is Paige and then beside Paige is of course Riley.

"Paige love maybe we should switch spots," Riley says. "You also have the bladder of a small mammal."

"That's true hon," Paige agrees.

Riley moves out of the booth and so does Paige. Riley goes back into the booth followed by Paige. Now Paige is on the outside while Riley is sitting by Alex. Anyone else see the steam coming from Alex's ears.

"So how was everyone's holidays?" Riley asks.

"Full of work," I answer.

"Really? Isn't a holiday meant for relaxation?"

"Not when this it's right before your senior year of college," Beth says. "Everything we did this past summer and everything we do this year will determine our futures."

"Wow, sounds like senior year of high school all over again," Paige says.

"Exactly," I agree. "Except the senior year of college will determine if I get a good job to support myself unlike the senior year of high school where all that determined is which college I would be attending. No, senior year of college is way more stressful."

"Wow, this makes me slightly happy that I decided to not do university."

"Didn't you flunk out?" Sage asks.

And cue the awkward silence. Sage realizes the mistake she made.

"I'm sorry," she apologized quickly. "I didn't mean to say that."

"It's ok hon," Paige says. "I flunked out of school but now I'm doing something I love. Isn't that what we all want anyway?"

"Exactly," Alex says as if Paige just said something awe inspiring.

I look at Alex and roll my eyes.

"So what're your plans after university," Riley asks.

"Well I plan on attending veterinary school if I get in," Beth answers.

"Which you will," I tell her. "And wherever Beth gets in at I'll go with her and try to get a job in radio."

"Wow, you're going to go with Beth wherever she goes?" Riley asks.

I nod my head. "I've already spent all four years of college away from Beth. I don't ever want to have to do something like that ever again."

"But we plan on moving back up to Toronto," Beth says.

"Yep back to good ole T.O."

"Well that certainly sounds like a plan," Riley says. "And what about you two love birds?" Riley points to Alex and Sage.

"Umm… we're not too sure right now," Alex says.

"I was to go to business school in New York," Sage answers.

"And are you going to go wherever Sage goes?" Riley asks.

"Well I don't exactly have the same privilege as Jordan because I still have to go to school after I complete my education at FSU. I'm actually looking at the University of Toronto, their Department of Physical Therapy is really good."

Wow, I had no idea Alex was looking at U of T. Apparently neither did Sage because Sage is looking at Alex with a surprised look on her face.

"Of course nothing is set in stone yet," Alex says. "What aboot you two? What are you going to do after the movie is done?"

"We haven't quite decided yet," Paige says.

"Yeah, we're just living in the moment. Seeing where this relationship takes us."

Riley is smiling at Paige and Paige is smiling right back at her. Did I just hear that Paige is living in the moment?

"Wow Paige, I never knew you were a fan of the "living in the now" method," Alex says.

Oh lord, not this again. Feelings from high school always have to come back apparently.

"Well hon people do change," Paige says.

"I guess so."

Thank God, the waitress just arrived here with the food.

"Let's eat!" I announce.

Hopefully this fondue will keep everyone busy. Just now I was trying to think of a joke to do with fondue but I couldn't think of anything. Oh well.

**After Dinner:**

The rest of dinner went smoothly. Well as smoothly as it could go. I was right to have Beth sit on the outside of the booth since she got up three times to use the bathroom. Wine just goes right through the girl. Alex and Sage almost got into another mini argument about what they'll be doing after graduating from FSU but I stopped that crap quickly. Then at some point I guess Riley said something that made Alex mad. Let's just say that Alex had a few colorful words for Riley. Other than those things though dinner went great.

Alex, Sage, Beth, and I are back at the apartment. We said our goodbyes to Riley and Paige at the restaurant. Beth and I are watching TV on the couch trying to relax but I can hear yelling from Alex and Sage's bedroom.

"Well when were you going to tell me!" I hear Alex yell.

"Every time I try to bring up the future Lexie you change the subject!" Sage yells. "Besides when were you going to tell me about Toronto? I mean how could you have already applied and not even discuss this with me!"

"The deadline for the application for Ontario Rehabilitation Sciences Programs is due in January. I had to start the process early since I don't attend a Canadian university."

"You could have at least told me!"

"And you could have at least told me your plans aboot going to New York!"

I hear the bedroom door open. I turn around and my seat and I see Alex storming out of the bedroom with Sage following right behind her. Alex has the car keys in her hand.

"Alex where are you going?" Sage asks.

"I'm going out," Alex answers. "I don't feel like arguing with you anymore."

"Lexie we need to talk about this!"

"No, I'm tired of us yelling at each other aboot something we should have figured out a long time ago."

_Slam!_

Alex just left the apartment, slamming the door behind her.

"Ugh!" Sage groans/yells.

_Slam!_

Sage just went back to her bedroom and slammed the door behind her. I turn my head back and look at Beth.

"Are you glad I picked a profession that requires very little schooling?" I ask.

Beth is nodding her head. "Yeah, actually I am."

We both turn our attention back to the television. I definitely feel like this whole 'after FSU' issue can possibly break Alex and Sage. Wow.  


* * *

**A/N: The future talk can always either make or break a couple.**


	46. Thanksgiving

**A/N: My goal is to post four chapters today. So here is chapter one of Dec. 26**

**Disclaimer: Please don't arrest me! I swear I don't own Degrassi or any of its characters!  


* * *

**It's that time of year again, the time to give thanks. No, it's not Canadian Thanksgiving but American Thanksgiving and like always the Johnson household is celebrating it. Alex and I decided to come home for Thanksgiving this year and we're bringing Beth and Sage with us. Well more like Alex is bringing Sage with her since Beth was going to come home anyway to spend time with her family.

A few hours after the Salex shouting match that ensued in the apartment Alex came back. To my knowledge Alex and Sage talked a little bit about the future but mostly they just had make-up sex. That's the bad thing about the apartment, the walls aren't that thick. That's exactly how I had envisioned my Friday night going, getting to hear my sister have make-up sex with her girlfriend while I was trying to spend time with MY girlfriend. Yeah, it was a great Friday night.

Right now I'm at home in my room playing on my guitar. Mom is preparing Thanksgiving dinner. I believe Alex and Sage are down there helping her. The dinner tonight is going to be kind of big. Beth and her family will be here and Paige is going to be here. Paige decided to come home for a little bit because she hasn't been back in such a long time. Brian is probably watching a football game. Who knows where Major is, which now that I think about it, that's not a good thing.

"Major!" I call out.

"What?" he yells.

"Come here please!"

Major walks into my room. Major is becoming a big boy and quite a handful. He's going through the terrible twos which means he has a lot of temper tantrums and he thinks everything is his. The other day Major and I got into a "mine" fight. He took my cell phone and wouldn't give it back. Then we got into an argument about whose cell phone it really was. Let's just say this argument consisted of me yelling "No Major, it's **my** cell phone!" Eventually Brian ended the argument by taking away my cell phone from the both of us.

"Hi Major," I greet him.

"Hi!" he says happily. "Nom nom."

Whenever Major says "nom nom" it means he's hungry.

"Dinner is almost ready," I tell him. "Do you want to go downstairs?"

Major nods his head. "Mhm," he answers.

Major has his hands up in the air, which means he wants me to pick him up. I put my guitar down on my bed. I roll my eyes at Major but pick him up anyway.

"You're getting too big for this," I tell him. "Can you say 'spoiled'?"

"Spoiled," Major repeats.

"Yes, yes you are."

I carry Major downstairs to the kitchen. Mom is putting the finishes touches on the turkey while it looks like Sage is frosting the cake. Alex is doing nothing, as usual.

"Mama! Mama!" Major cries out. "Nom nom!"  
Mom turns her head and looks over at us. She smiles at Major and kisses him on the cheek.

"Food's almost ready sweetie," she tells him. Mom turns her attention to me. "Jordan, will you tell your father to get Major ready? You need to get ready as well, seeing as our guests are almost here."

"Sure thing," I tell her. "Come on Alex."

"I'm ok where I am right now," Alex says in a monotone voice.

"Alex sweetie, you're not doing anything right now so you might as well go and get ready," Mom says.

"But I am ready," Alex says.

Mom looks Alex up and down. Alex is wearing a t-shirt and some basketball shorts.

"We're having company over," Mom tells her. "I'm going to need you to do a little better than that."

Alex rolls her eyes and groan. "Fine," she says. Alex gets up from her seat and walks over to me.

"Awex, Awex!" Major calls out Alex's name.

Major is reaching out to Alex. I gladly hand him over to her.

"Hey buddy," Alex says. "How are you?"

Major gives Alex a thumbs up. Alex holds out her hand.

"High—five," she says.

Major happily slaps Alex's hand with his own hand. I roll my eyes at the two. I head upstairs with Alex and Major behind me. Alex goes into Brian's office telling him that Mom said he has to get ready and get Major ready. I walk into my room while Alex walks into hers.

I've decided to look my best, yet comfortable, for this dinner. I put on my nicest pair of jeans and a black button down shirt with a skinny red tie. I grab my really white pair of Adidas and put those on as well. I grab my Bath and Body Works body spray, Sea Island Cotton, and spray some over my body. I look good and I smell good. Everything is all good.

I exit my room into the hallway. Alex leaves her room at the same time. Alex is wearing a simple black dress. Alex looks at me.

"Really?" she asks. "I have to dress nicely and you get to wear jeans?"

I shrug my shoulders. "Mom doesn't expect much from me when it comes to fashion."

Alex rolls her eyes. "Whatever."

Brian walks out of his bedroom with Major following behind him. Wow, these two look handsome. Brian is wearing black suit pants with dark red button down shirt. He looks nice except for his shoes. For some reason in his mind it's ok to wear flip flops to dinner. Moving on, Major looks like a little man. He's wearing black corduroy pants with a long sleeve white collared dress shirt and a red V neck sweater over the shirt. Major is also wearing flip flops.

"Mom is not going to be ok with the flip flops," I tell Brian. "Major will get away with it because he's only two but you're a grown man."

"Exactly," Brian says. "I'm a grown man, therefore I can wear whatever kind of shoes I want to dinner."

Alex and I look at each other.

"Ha ha!" we both start laughing. We continue laughing at Brian.

"Alright girls, keep laughing," he says. "Just remember who helps you pay for everything."

Brian picks up Major and they head downstairs. Alex and my laughter have subsided.

"How long you think he's going to last down there?" she asks.

"As soon as Mom sees his feet she'll send him back upstairs," I tell her. "He won't even put up a fight."

"Ok, we'll see."

Alex and I go downstairs into the dining room. Brian is setting up the table. I think he is purposely avoiding the kitchen. Major is in his high chair playing with his toy dinosaurs.

"Rawr rawr," Major says, pretending one of his toys is about to attack the other.

Alex and I go into the kitchen. Mom and Sage are looking at the spread of food. I must say that it looks really good. We have some turkey, yams, corn, corn on the cob, rolls, stuffing, mash potatoes, and of course we have three sweet potato pies and one cake. You're probably wondering why there are three pies. Well Brian gets his own pie, Alex gets her own pie, and the other pie is for everyone else. I'm not big on pie anyway so it doesn't bother me.

Mom and Sage look up from the spread and at us. Mom is smiling at us.

"Well girls you clean up well," she says. "Alex you look very lovely in that dress."

Alex smiles widely. "Thanks Mom."

Mom looks over at me and sighs. "Well Jordan, I love you."

I open my arms. "Hey, I'm wearing my NICE pair of jeans. No holes, no rips, and no stains. Plus look at my shoes." I lift up my foot into the air. "Look at how white this shoe is."

"It's ok Jordan," Mom says. "After all this time I know what to expect from you."

I can hear Alex laughing. Alex has her hand over her mouth trying to cover it but I can tell.

"Well I think I look nice," I tell them.

Mom approaches me and puts her hand on my cheek. "And that's all that matters honey,' she says.

She's walking out of the kitchen into the dining room. Woman tells me to dress up and I do. I can never win in this house.

"You do look nice," Sage tells Alex.

"Thank you," Alex says.

And now the kissing has begun. I can't wait for my own girlfriend to get here so we can have our own PDA. Ok, they've stopped kissing now.

"I have to go get dressed but I'll be right back," Sage tells Alex.

"Alrighty, I'll save you a seat," Alex says.

Sage walks out of the kitchen and upstairs. Alex and I walk into the dining room.

"Brian, you outdid yourself with the table this year," Mom tells Brian.

"Yes, yes I did," he says. "Thank you."

Mom is smiling, looking at the table. Then she looks at Brian. Brian just made a mistake by walking from behind the table where his feet were covered. Mom has zeroed in on the flip flops. She's shaking her head.

"You're not wearing those flip flops," Mom tells him.

"Oh come on Felicia!" Brian exclaims. "It's not like anyone is going to see my feet underneath the table."

Mom is shaking her head. "If you have to wear heels then you have to wear nice shoes."

"No one said you have to wear heels," Brian points out.

Mom crosses her arms. She's giving him that look. It's the same look Beth gives me that says if I don't do what she says then no sex for me. Oh great now I'm thinking about my parents having sex.

Brian sighs angrily. "Fine, I'll go change my footwear."

Mom smiles. "Thank you!"

_Ding dong!_

"Door bell!" Major yells.

"I'll get it," I tell everyone.

I walk over to the front door and open it. It's the Perez's!

"Welcome!" I greet them in my announcer voice.

I open the door wider and move out of the way so everyone can come in. Mr. and Mrs. Perez take off their jackets. They're both nicely dressed, Mr. Perez in a suit with a tie and Mrs. Perez in a lovely dark blue sweater dress. Simón is wearing khaki twill pants and a long sleeve blue/multi striped button shirt. They all look very nice.

"Y'all look very nice," I tell them.

"Oh gracias Jordan," Mrs. Perez thanks me.

"Here, I'll take your coats."

Mr. and Mrs. Perez and Simón hand me their coats. I put the coats in the coat closet.

"Will you take my coat as well?" I hear Beth ask me.

I turn around and smile at her. As always my girlfriend is looking fabulous. Beth is wearing a tank top dress. The top is a vintage pink lace tank top and the skirt is black.

"I would love to take your coat," I tell her.

Beth hands me her coat and I place it in the closet with the others. Beth and I share a greeting kiss. I walk the Perez's to the dining room where my mom is already is already sitting with Major.

"Felicia, this setting is muy bonita," Mrs. Perez tells my mom.

"Gracias Carina," Mom thanks Mrs. Perez.

_Ding dong!_

There's the doorbell again.

"I'll get it," I tell everyone.

I walk to the door and open it. Hey, it's Paige.

"Hi Paige," I greet her.

"Hi hon," Paige greets me back.

We share a hug as she walks into the house. I take Paige's coat. Paige is wearing one of her own designs. I can't really describe it. All I can say is that she looks really nice in it.

"You look nice Paige," I tell her. "As always."

Paige smiles widely at me. "Thank hon," she says. "I like that you added a skinny tie to your attire today."

"Yeah, I'm trying to be fancy since it is Thanksgiving dinner and all."

Paige laughs. "Of course hon."

I walk Paige to the dinner room where everyone else is. This time Alex and Sage are also at the table. Alex looks up at Paige and smiles.

"Hello Paige," Alex greets her. "You look nice."

"Thanks hon," Paige says. "So do you. Hi Sage."

"Hello Paige," Sage says. Oo that greeting didn't even seem fake or forced. Maybe we are getting somewhere.

"Alright who's ready for dinner?" Brian asks as he walks into the dining room, wearing dress shoes this time.

"Nom nom!" Major yells.

Well according to Major it is time for dinner.

**Dinner:**

So far dinner has gone very smoothly, of course I would think it would go smoothly since there are adults here. I mean we're all adults, except for Major, but since our parents are here I don't think any drama will ensue.

"So Paige where's Riley?" Beth asks.

I can see Alex gripping her fork. I roll my eyes, completely ridiculous.

"She couldn't get the time off to come," Paige says. "She really wanted to though. She said she wanted to experience an American Thanksgiving first hand. But they need her more than they need me right now so she had to stay."

"Oh what a shame," Alex says sarcastically.

"How is the movie going?" Mom asks Paige.

"It's good," Paige answers. "So much hard work but it's really fulfilling. I can't wait to see the finishing product."

"And you're working on your line at the same time right?"

Paige is nodding her head. "Yep. Just because I'm working on a movie doesn't mean I can forget aboot my line. I actually have some news. Right now I'm in negotiations to work with Forever 21 to lunch a line exclusively with them."

"No way!" Beth says excitedly. "Paige that's great!"

"Yeah Paigey," Alex agrees. "That's great news."

"Yay!" Major cheers. He probably has no idea what he is cheering about.

"I'm so excited," Paige says. "Forever 21 is so popular and knowing that girls all over the world will be wearing my clothes is a dream come true for me."

"Congratulations Paige," Mom says. "Your parents must be very proud of you."

Paige is nodding her head. "After I told my mother she decided to call every single relative she knows."

"Does this mean you'll be moving back to L.A. after you're done with the movie?" Sage asks.

Paige is shaking her head. "Actually I've decided that when the movie is over I'd like to move back home to Toronto. I've had my experience living away from home and meeting new people but I miss T.O. I miss being near family and friends." Paige looks over at Alex and smiles.

"Does Riley know aboot your decision?" Alex asks.

"We haven't talked aboot it yet but I'm sure she'll be very supportive of my decision," Paige says.

I raise my glass up in the air. "Here's to Paige and her future endeavors."

Everyone raises their glasses, Major raises his sippy cup. "To Paige," everyone says.

"To Paige," I hear Sage mutter.

We clink our glasses together and take a drink. I look over at Sage, who doesn't seem too happy. Oh wait, if Alex decided to go to school in Toronto and Sage goes to New York that means Alex and Paige will be closer together with Sage hours away and not able to do anything. Hmm, well I guess when April rolls around things will become more interesting.


	47. What Does the Future Hold For You?

**A/N: Second update on Dec. 26 1:58 pm**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi or its characters. But right now I own about six inches of snow in my backyard.  


* * *

**Time is starting to wind down at FSU. It's April which means graduation is right around the corner. Some seniors on campus are freaking because they don't know if they have the credits they need to graduate. Some seniors are freaking out because they have no idea what they're going to do after graduation. I'm not freaking out because I have the credits I need to graduate and I'm pretty sure I know what I'm doing after graduation.

There are three people though that I know personally who are freaking out: Alex, Beth, and Sage. Well Alex isn't freaking out as much as the other two. Last month Alex received an email from the Department of Physical Therapy at the University of Toronto. They offered her the chance to write the CAP (Computer Administered Profile) which is amazing because only a select number of people are offered that which means Alex is one step closer into getting into the program. Sage is freaking out because a couple of weeks ago she received a call from NYU's Stern School of Business for an invitation to interview which also means Sage is one step closer to being accepted to that school. Beth is freaking out because she hasn't heard from the veterinary program she applied to in Toronto. Beth doesn't think she did too well on her MCAT's although she got an 11 in both Physical Sciences and Verbal Reasoning and a 13 on Biological Science, also she got a P on her writing. I told her that she shouldn't be freaking out but of course she's not listening to me.

This weekend the apartment will be empty. Alex and I are going to Toronto this weekend while Sage will be going to New York. Alex has to go to U of T to do the CAP test there and I have an interview with 101.5 to try to get a DJ position there. Apparently Sage has two interviews in New York this weekend, her interview for the Stern School of Business and some interview for an internship at some big business corporation in Manhattan. This weekend could very well determine the future of Salex but I think they're both trying not to think about that little fact.

We're all in the airport right now. It just so happens that Alex and my flight leaves around the same time as Sage's. I'm pretty sure they booked it that way on purpose but hey whatever.

"So I hope you have a good interview," Alex tells Sage.

Sage is nodding her head. "And I hope you do well on your test."

Wow, there is some serious awkward silence going on right now.

"Lexie what are we going to do if I get into Stern and you get into U of T?" Sage asks. "I mean did you even apply to any other schools?"

"Of course I did," Alex says. "But the physical training department at U of T is like the best in Canada. You want me to go to the best don't you?"

"Of course I do!" Sage exclaims. "I just… I don't want us to be so far away from each other."

Alex pulls Sage into her arms. "Whatever happens we'll make it work," she tells her. "I love you."

"I love you too."

Alex and Sage share a kiss. This scene could definitely be in a romantic lesbian movie. I mean it doesn't have to be a lesbian movie but it probably would be.

"Flight-148 to Charlotte/Douglas International Airport is now boarding," the voice over the intercom announces.

"Alex, we got to go," I tell her.

Alex and Sage share one last kiss.

"I'll call you," Alex tells Sage.

Sage is nodding her head. "Ok," she says. "I love you Lexie."

"I love you too."

Alex picks up her bag off the ground and we start walking to our gate.

"You ok?" I ask her.

Alex wipes away a tear. "I'm fine," she says.

Sometimes I wonder if Alex ever rethinks about applying to U of T or if she ever wonders if Sage would have gone to Toronto for her.

**Toronto:**

"What about that one?"

"You don't think that's a tad bit flashy?"

"Flashy? It's a simple white gold diamond ring."

"Jordan that ring is set in 14k white gold and it has like a thousand diamonds in it. I'm pretty sure the center diamond is as big as my eyeball."

Alex and I are ring shopping. That's right I've decided that I'm going to propose to Beth. Alex decided to come to the jeweler's with me to help me pick out a ring. I need to pick out the perfect ring for Beth, money is no object.

"Hi, can I help you ladies with something?" a man asks us.

"Hello," I look at the man's name tag. "Kyle," I greet him. "I am looking for an engagement ring."

"Well you have come to the right place," Kyle says. "Your fiancé decided to let you pick out the ring yourself instead of coming with you?"

"No actually. I'm proposing to my long time girlfriend."

Kyle looks at Alex and me and smiles. "Oh, you two are the happy couple?"

What the-. Alex and I look at each other with a look of horror and slight disgust on our faces.

"No," I say quickly. "This is my sister. She's just here to be here."

"Yeah," Alex says quickly.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Kyle apologizes. "Well let's see if we can find the perfect ring. Now do you have any idea what kind of ring you're looking for?"

"White gold, definitely. Something nice but not too simple and not too flashy. I want the ring to be as strong as my love for her. When people see this ring I want them to know how much I love her and that I would do anything for her."

Alex looks at Kyle. "Can a ring say all of that?" she asks him.

Kyle smiles. "A ring can say that, and more. Let me show you the collection that **just** came in last week."

**Later:**

We've been here for two hours and I still haven't found the perfect ring. This ring has to be perfect for Beth, it HAS to be.

"Jordan, please just pick a ring already," Alex pleads. "I have to be at U of T in two hours for my CAP."

"Alex I can't JUST pick a ring," I tell her. "This ring has to be perfect. It has to be beyond perfect. When I get down on my knee and present this ring to Beth I want her to see how much I love her and how much she means to me."

"Jordan, Beth already knows that. You don't need a ring to tell her that."

I place my hand on the edge of the counter and hang my head down. I sigh.

"Maybe you're right," I tell Alex.

I lift my head up a little and open my eyes. Wait what's that ring?

"Kyle, can I see this ring please?" I ask.

Kyle walks over to wear I am. I'm pointing to the ring I want to take a closer look at. Kyle takes the ring from behind the glass and places it in front of me.

"This ring is simple yet elegant," he tells me. "The larger round diamond is prong-set between six additional round diamonds in a band of ten karat white gold. There's also a matching wedding band that you can buy with it."

"How much is it?"

"The ring and matching band?"

I look at Kyle. "Just the ring Kyle."

"The ring is $350.55. The matching wedding band is-."

I hold up my hand silencing Kyle. "I'll take it," I tell him.

"The ring?"

"Yes Kyle the ring. I'll take the ring."

"Good choice ma'am."

I look over at Alex and smile at her. She's smiling back at me. Alex gets up from her seat walks over to me. She places her hand on my shoulder.

"Found the perfect ring?" she asks.

I'm nodding my head. "You think she'll love it?"

"Beth would love anything you give here," Alex answers.

I can't wait to give this ring to Beth. But before I can even get down on one knee there's one more obstacle I have to face.

**Later:**

I swear to God if Major screams one more time because he doesn't get his way I'm going to throw a pillow at him.

"Cookies!" he yells.

"How many times do I have to tell you that you can't have any cookies?" I ask him. "You have to eat dinner first."

Uh-oh, he's scrunching up his face. His face is slightly turning red. Here we go again.

"Wahh!" Major cries out. "Wahhh!"

"Major stop crying!' I tell him.

Major continues his deafening scream.

"You're not even crying! There are no tears falling down your face!"

I hear the front door open and Alex walks in. She looks relieved which is good because now she can deal with our spoiled hard headed brother. Alex puts up her coat and walks into the living room.

"Now why is he crying?" she asks.

"Because I'm not giving him any cookies," I answer.

Alex rolls her eyes. Alex walks away and leaves the living room. Major is still screaming.

"Wahhh!" Major screams.

"If Mom and Dad were here you wouldn't be doing this," I tell him. "You think I'm going to cave in but I'm not."

Alex walks into the room with an Oreo in her hand. I know she is not about to give him an Oreo.

"Major!" Alex calls out his name.

Major calms down on the screaming to focus his attention on her. Major sees the cookie. Alex hands him the Oreo. The screaming instantly stops and a smile appears on Major's face.

"Thank you," he says.

Oh you have got to be kidding me! Alex picks up Major and sits down on the couch with him on her lap. Major is eating his Oreo happily.

"And you wonder why Mom and Dad say he's spoiled," I tell her.

Alex shrugs her shoulders. "We're his sisters," she says. "We're suppose to help Major break the rules. It's in the sibling code."

"Sibling code my ass. Well since you're finally here I can go. How was the test by the way?"

"It wasn't really a test," Alex answers. "It was more of a bunch of essays that apparently asses my personal characteristics and attributes."

"Oh, well I wish you a very good luck. And now I must go."

"Where are you going?"

"There's just something I have to do. I'll be back soon though. Later."

"Bye."

"Bye!" Major says.

I just want to throw an Oreo cookie at his big head now.

**Perez House:**

There are two reasons why I came up to Toronto this weekend. Number one was to have my interview with 101.5 which by the way went fantastic. Number two has to deal with more of my love life. I want to propose to Beth but before I can I have to get permission from her parents. See I'm kind of old school when it comes to this type of stuff. Beth has no idea I'm seeing her parents, she just thought I came home for the interview.

I'm standing in front of the front door of the Perez household. Breathe Jordan, just breathe. I can do this. I mean what's the worst that can happen? Is Mr. Perez really going to tell me I can't propose to his daughter? Oh my God, what if he does?

I just stopped breathing because the front door opened. Mr. Perez is standing in front of me.

"Carina and I were wondering how long you were going to stand out here," Mr. Perez tells me. "I decided to come get you before the neighbors called the cops. Come on in Jordan."

"Yes sir," I answer.

I walk into the Perez household. The smell of flan instantly hits my nose. Mr. Perez is walking to the living room and I'm following him. Mr. Perez sits on the couch besides Mrs. Perez and Simón. I sit on the opposite couch. Wow this is a lot scarier than I imagined it to be.

"So what can we help you with Jordan?" Mr. Perez asks.

Ok Jordan just remember that you can do this. The Perez's love you and they know you love Beth. I take a deep breath and let it out.

"Well as you might know I came up to Toronto this weekend for a job interview," I tell them.

Mr. Perez is nodding his head. "Yes, Bethany informed us of that."

"Well I believe the job interview went great and seeing as I've interned with the station the past two summers I think I have a really great chance of getting the job. This means that I'll have a steady flow of income coming in which means that I'll be able to not only support myself but also for those that I love."

"Continue," Mrs. Perez says.

Ok this is it. "Mr. and Mrs. Perez I love your daughter. I've loved her since I was 18 and the feelings I felt for her then are even stronger now. I know that we're young and that we haven't even graduated from college yet but I know that I want to spend the rest of my life with her. So I'm asking for your," I turn to look at Simón, "And your permission to ask Beth to marry me."

Whew, there I did it. I think I can now pass out. I have no idea what's running through any of their minds right now. Suddenly Simón stands up and approaches me. I get up from my seat. Simón is looking at me with a serious look on his face.

"You promise to take of my sister?" he asks.

"Of course," I answer.

"You promise to never hurt her? To make sure all her dreams come true and to make sure that every day she has a smile on her face?"

"I'll do everything and anything in my power to make sure Beth has a smile on her face every day."

"Listen Jordan," he starts seriously. "I may be only 13 right now but I'm already your height and I'm only going to get taller and stronger. If you hurt my sister I'll have no shame in beating up a girl."

Wow, he's actually scaring me. "That's understandable," I agree with that.

Simón nods his head and smiles. "You have my blessing."

Oh my God, it feels like a tiny weight has been lifted off my chest. Simón gives me a hug and a pat on my back. Simón and I part from each other. Mr. and Mrs. Perez are still sitting on the couch. I don't know if this is a good sign or not. Mr. Perez gets off the couch and walks over to me. A smile suddenly appears on his face.

"I was almost afraid you were going to ask my mija to marry you without asking for my permission first," Mr. Perez says. "Of course you have my blessing Jordan. You've always had my blessing."

Thank you Jesus. Now a greater weight has been lifted off my chest. Mr. Perez pulls me into a giant bear hug. He's squishing me. Can't-breathe.

"Antonio, let the girl go," Mrs. Perez tells him. She looks at me and smile. "Jordan, our mija has been wearing the claddagh ring on her finger for almost three years now. I know when she thinks we're not looking she wears it on her left hand. Of course you have our blessing."

Mrs. Perez pulls me in for a hug. Now they're all hugging me. I'm involved in my first Perez family hug. Hopefully the next one will include Beth.


	48. How Many Times Can You Fight About This?

**A/N: So I had to delete some of my documents in my Document Manager cuz I had reached the limit. WOW. Anyway, third update of Dec. 26 at 4:19 pm**

**Disclaimer: There is a foot of snow outside my house. Even if I wanted to leave my house and steal Degrassi and its characters from the owners I wouldn't be able to.  
**

* * *

It's happening…again. I don't know how many times they can argue about this. They should have argued about this ONE time and decided then and there what to do. They should have had this discussion at the beginning of the year. No actually they should have talked about this last year. This is just getting ridiculous and it makes my head hurt.

"NYU has an AMAZING physical therapy department," Sage says, for about the one hundredth time.

"And Toronto has some AMAZING business schools," Alex argues back.

"Lexie do you know how hard it would be for me to transfer to a school outside of the states? And what would my parents say? My dad has never even heard of York University."

"Well it's not my fault that your stuck up parents don't know aboot anything outside their precious little bubble!"

Oh God, please tell me Alex did not just say that.

"Stuck up?" Sage asks. "You think my parents are stuck up?"

"I didn't mumble did I? Yes your parents are stuck up."

"How can you say that? After they had dinner with you during spring break. After they took time off from their jobs to come up here and get to know you better. After finally accepting us, how can you say that?"

"Accepting us?" Alex asks in disbelief. "Your father said he was tolerating us. TOLERATING! Sage we've been together for three years and your dad still thinks this is some kind of experiment!"

"Yes Daddy is old fashion but I know eventually he'll come around. Besides although they don't want me to be with you I am. I'm making a sacrifice so why can't you make one?"

"Oh I'm sorry," Alex apologizes sarcastically. "I didn't know being with me was such a sacrifice!"

"Lexie that is not what I meant," Sage says.

"No Sage I think that's exactly what you meant. Sage, I have friends and a family in Toronto. I don't want to move to a brand new city where I don't know anyone. Plus I'm still on student visa. In order for me to attend NYU I'd have to go through all that paper work again."

"What makes you think I want to move to a city where I don't know anyone except for you and your family? And I'd also have to do visa paper work if I went to school in Toronto. At least it'd be easier for you since all you'd have to do is renew your visa."

"Sage, think aboot it. We'd be moving to a big city where we don't know anyone and crime is through the roof in New York."

"Lexie have you even looked at the crime rates in New York."

There's silence, wow great job Alex for not actually knowing the crime rates in New York. That will definitely help your argument.

"… No, but I've heard about them."

I don't even have to look to know Sage just crossed her arms across her chest.

"Knowing and hearing about the crime rates are two different things Alex," she says. "But it doesn't even matter because I got into Stern and I already accepted the internship."

"So you already accepted without even talking to me aboot it first? Well that's just great Sage."

"Lexie we've been arguing about this same issue for months now! I love you Lexie, I do and I want you to be part of my future but you can't be part of it if you can't support me and make a sacrifice for me."

"But why do I have to be the one to make the sacrifice," Alex says. I heard Alex's voice crack which means I know she's on the verge of tears.

"Because one of us does Alex and it's not going to be me," Sage says. I can also hear sadness in Sage's voice.

I turn around in my seat and look at them. They both have tears running down their faces. Their fighting and crying is literally breaking my heart. Sage grabs her windbreaker off of the coat rack.

"Where are you going?" Alex asks.

"Out," Sage answers. "I need space to think and so do you. I'll be at Jenna's place."

"Sage…"

"I'll be back later. I love you."

Sage kisses Alex on the cheek and leaves the apartment. Alex has her hands on her forehead and I can hear her breathing.

"Alex…" I start.

Alex doesn't say anything. She's leaving the living room. I hear Alex go into her bedroom and slam the door shut. I pull out myself cell phone and dial the number of someone who I hope can help me.

"Hey Jordan."

"Hey Paige."

"Hon, what's wrong?"

"It's Alex and Sage. They just had another huge argument and Sage left."

"Umm… I don't know why you're calling me hon. I'm not entirely sure what to tell you, especially since I don't like Sage."

"I know you don't like Sage but I know you care about Alex's happiness. I just don't know what to do. I've only seen Alex like this before once."

"When was that?"

Oops. "Umm… It was like a really long time ago."

"Ok… well just do what you did then."

"Yeah but the situation then is entirely different from the current situation."

"Well if this is about Alex and Sage arguing on their futures then the answer is clearly right in front of you. Alex doesn't want to feel like someone's lap dog. Alex wants her own future and although she wants Sage to be part of it Alex doesn't want to give up her dream."

"So what should I do?"

"Just be there for her hon. We both know that at a time like this all Alex really needs is a shoulder to cry on."

I sigh. "Thanks Paige," I thank her.

"No problem hon. And I honestly hope Alex feels better."

"Even if that means she breaks up with Sage?"

"I didn't say that, you did."

I chuckle. "Bye Paige."

"Bye."

I close my phone shut. Alright, time to go talk to Alex. I get up from the couch and walk to Alex and Sage's bedroom. I knock on the door.

"Alex," I call out her name. "Alex, can I come in?"

I hear no response. I slowly open the bedroom door and peer in. Alex is laying down on the bed staring up at the wall with tears coming down her face. I haven't seen Alex this upset since the Thanksgiving weekend of 2006, the day Alex told Paige she loved her and Paige didn't say it back. Yep, I just went back to three and a half years ago with this one.

I walk over to the bed and lay down. I'm hoping that Alex and Sage either haven't had sex in awhile or they just changed the sheets. I lie down beside her and look up at the ceiling as well.

"I would ask how you're doing but I'm pretty sure I already know the answer to that," I tell her.

"I feel like shit," Alex tells me.

"How about we try to use more descriptive words? Maybe use less vulgar words to describe how you're feeling."

Alex sighs. "I'm hurt, sad, angry, confused, some other emotion that I can't think of right now. I just don't understand why Sage wants me to move to New York but it's too much for me to ask her to move to Toronto."

"Why don't you want to move to New York?"

"I don't know. I mean I already moved all the way to Florida to go to school. I miss Canada, I miss Toronto. I just want to be home. Is that too much for me to ask?"

"No, but you have to remember that you're in a relationship and in relationship you have to compromise."

"I know that! I just don't understand why I'm the one that has to give up something."

"Alex, let me tell you something that I have never told ANYONE."

"Ok…"

"When Beth got accepted to Miami and not FSU it broke my heart. I wanted Beth to transfer to FSU after her first semester at Miami but I knew that wouldn't make Beth completely happy. I knew that Beth had made friends at Miami and that it was a really good school for her. So instead I waited, Beth and I had a long distance relationship but we made it work."

Alex turns her head and looks at me. "Yeah but you and Beth weren't even together freshmen year," she points out.

"Yeah, one minor detail we're going to ignore for the sake of this conversation. The **point **is that in order for you and Sage to live your dreams and stay together you're both going to have to make sacrifices."

"What are you saying Jordan?"

"I'm saying that if you get in at U of T then go there and let Sage go to New York. Yes you're going to be in two different places and yeah it's going to be hard but if you two truly love each other and if it's meant to be then you'll work it out. The strongest relationships go through the hardest obstacles."

"And what if we don't work out?"

"Well if you don't work out then maybe it wasn't meant to be but at least you were with someone you cared about and who cared about you."

Alex sighs. "Yeah maybe…"

I pat Alex on the shoulder. "Don't worry you and Sage will work it out."

I get up and off the bed. I make my way to the door. I turn around and look at Alex. She's still staring at the ceiling. Well maybe the ceiling can help her more than I can. But here's what I just thought about. Before when Salex had this huge argument Alex left and this time Sage left. If these two can't even work this out without one of them leaving then how are they going to be able to make this relationship last much longer?


	49. All My Life

**A/N: FOURTH update of Dec. 26! THAT'S RIGHT! I DID A QUADRAPOLE UPDATE! WOOO! This was posted at 9:24 pm**

**Disclaimer: I own a car that does not properly work in the snow but I do not own Degrassi or it's characters.  


* * *

**Did you know that there are actual words to Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1? You're probably wondering what the Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1 is. Well it is more commonly known as The Graduation Song. That's right Alex and I graduated from college! We actually graduated last week; Alex's commencement ceremony was on Friday while mine was on Saturday. Beth graduated yesterday and of course I was there to cheer her on.

Beth got accepted into the Ontario Veterinary College at the University of Toronto. I am so proud and happy for her. I got the DJing job at 101.5. I am currently the DJ for Fridays and Saturdays 11pm to 5 am. Yeah it's not the best time slot but everyone started out at it. Sage is going to Stern School of Business at NYU and got an internship with HJ Stores in Brooklyn. The internship is unpaid but with the way the economy is it's not really a surprise but at least she's getting experience under her belt. Alex and Sage FINALLY decided what they were going to do. They decided that they were going to try the long distance since neither of them wanted to give up their dream school and they figured that whatever happens happens. I'm just glad the fighting stopped.

Currently we're all in Tallahassee. Alex and I are at the Grandparents' house getting ready for the party. Yep we're having a graduation party. Everyone is here and when I mean everyone I mean EVERYONE, even Jay and Manny. The party is not only for us but also for Beth. I'm really excited because we got a live band and I decided that I'm going to propose to Beth at the party.

"Do you think she say "yes"?" I ask Alex nervously.

"For the millionth time, yes she will say "yes"," Alex answers. "There is no doubt in my mind that Beth will want to marry you. I don't know why anyone would want to marry you, but to each her own.

" Ha ha," I laugh sarcastically. "You're so funny."

Alex grins at me. "I know," she says. "I'm quite the comedian."

"Well Lexie I always thought you were funny," a random voice says.

I look in the direction where the comment came from. Of course, Jay Hogart would be the one standing in my doorway. I must admit that he looks good and happy. I bet Manny had something to do with that.

"Jay I don't think I ever remember inviting you into my bedroom," I tell her.

Jay walks over to me. "Oh Jordan you know you've always wanted me in your bedroom before," he says jokingly and winks.

I start laughing and shaking my head. "I don't know how Manny puts up with you."

"I don't know how either," another random voice says.

And there's Manny now standing in my door way and she looks really good. I guess marriage and Hollywood have something to do with that. Yep Jay and Manny got married over winter break. It was actually quite a nice ceremony. Alex was Jay's female groomsmen. Part of me still can't believe Manny Santos married Jay Hogart.

"Hey Manny," I greet her.

Manny walks over to me and we share a hug. "Hey Jordan, congratulations on graduating. You too Alex."

"Thanks Manny," Alex says.

"Thanks Manny for coming all the way out here," I thank her. "I know you're busy with work and everything."

Manny waves me off as if it's not that big of a deal. "I needed a break from filming," she says. "I was aboot to kill the director."

"Well I'm glad I could give you a break." I turn to Jay. "As much as this is going to kill me to say, I'm really glad you were able to make it out here as well Jay."

Jay smiles. "Well when you own your own mechanic shop it's easy to ask the boss for some time off. Besides I couldn't miss Alex graduating from college. Who would have thought she'd even graduate from high school?"

"Ha ha Jay, you're so funny," Alex says sarcastically.

Manny hits Jay playfully. "Stop teasing them," Manny tells them. "Now give them their presents."

Oo present time! Gimme gimme! Jay hands Alex and me envelopes. I open my envelope up. OH MY GOD!

"Oh my God!" How did you even get these?" I ask excitedly.

"Well when you're married to one of the hottest starlets in Hollywood I've found it's not that hard to get tickets to concerts or sporting events," Jay tells me.

In my hands I hold two tickets to Game Four of the Western Conference NBA Finals, L.A. Lakers against the Phoenix Suns at the Staples Center. I think I can die happy now. I wrap my arms around Jay and hug him.

"I think I love you Jay," I tell him.

Jay pats my back. "Um… this is a bit uncomfortable for me now," he says.

I let Jay go and then I hug Manny. Alex opens her envelope.

"No way!" she says. Alex pulls her tickets out of the envelope. She's holding a pair of A Day to Remember tickets. "I can't believe you got these for me. Thank you!"

Alex hugs Jay and Manny. "No problem," Manny says. "We know how much you like them and I know someone who works at Victory Records."

"Best graduation present ever," Alex says excitedly. "Thank you so much."

Jay waves it off. "Anything for you Lexie."

So Alex got ADTR concert tickets and I got tickets to see my favorite basketball team. So far I'd like to say this is turning out to be a very good graduation party.

**Party!:**

I have to admit that this party might be better than my 21st birthday party. Not only do I know everyone here but there's also a live band here. That's right, my parents got Let's Get It to come and perform. If you've never heard of them before then you need to because they are AMAZING! Everyone is having a good time right now laughing and talking and dancing to the music. I don't even want to tell you how much graduation money I've gotten so far. Let's just say this money will help me because currently I'm looking for an apartment for Beth, possibly Alex, and me to move into. We're going to need a place to stay and we can't live with our parents anymore.

"Jordan this party is awesome," Josh says.

"I'm happy you could make it dude," I tell him. "And let me just say that I'm happy you were able to graduate."

"If it wasn't for you I'd probably be at FSU for another semester. I owe you one."

"No problem dude, anything for my favorite fraternity boy."

Josh holds out his fist and I pound it with my fist. Yeah I helped Josh pass his finals which allowed him to graduate. For those of you who think I'm not a miracle worker I proved all of you wrong by helping that boy. Note to all of you guys in fraternities: you can't just party and get drunk all four years. Well you can but remember you need to go to class and study as well.

"Hey you," Beth greets me.

I smile. "Hello my college graduate girlfriend," I greet her.

"Oo say it again."

"College graduate," I repeat but this time in a sexy voice.

"I love the sound of that."

"Me too, except when Jordan isn't using that creepy 'sexy' voice," Alex says.

Alex always appears out of nowhere when I'm having a sexy moment with Beth. Alex throws her arms around Beth and me.

"So how are you two doing?" Alex asks.

"Well we were doing fine before you came along," I tell her.

Alex shrugs her shoulders. "Oh well," she says.

Good here comes someone who can hopefully take Alex away.

"Hey Paige," I greet her.

"Hey hon," she greets me back. "Congratulations to all of you for graduating."

"Thanks Paige," Beth says. "And thanks for flying all the way to Miami for my graduation."

"Of course hon," Paige says casually. "You're one of my best friends. There was no way I was going to miss your graduation."

"So Paige, where's Riley?" Alex asks. I think she's only asking out of politeness. Alex doesn't actually care where Riley is.

"Well Riley and I broke up hon," Paige tells us.

I definitely just felt Alex perk up and I see a small smile on her face.

"Aw why?" she asks in a fake concerned voice.

"Well filming of the movie ended two weeks ago and Riley and I decided that our relationship ran its course. I mean it was good while it lasted but we both knew it wasn't serious enough for it to be long distance. I want to live in Toronto and work on my career and Riley wants to be in L.A. and work on her film career. We're going to stay friends though, so it's no big deal."

"Well I'm happy you're ok Paigey," Alex tells her.

I can't help but roll my eyes at Alex. She can be so ridiculous sometimes. Our parents and Beth's parents are walking toward us. They have smiles on their faces. Oo, I'm excited.

"Heeeeyyy," I greet them.

"Hola Jordan, hola Alex," Mr. Perez greets us. "Congratulaciones."

I'm going to go ahead and say that he just congratulated us.

"Mija your father and I are so proud of you," Mrs. Perez tells Beth.

"Gracias Papi, gracias Mami," Beth thanks her parents.

"And Jordan, Alex, your father and I are very proud of you two," Mom tell us.

"Couldn't have done it without you and Papa B," I tell Mom.

"Word," Brian says and pounds his chest.

I can't help but shake my head. I call him by one of his nicknames and all of the sudden he thinks he's hip.

"So we have a graduation present for you girls," Mr. Perez tells us.

Brian is nodding his head. "Now we know that the economy is not at its best right now so it's a bit hard out here in the "real world". And Alex, Beth, we know that since you two are continuing your education you don't really have the option of having full time jobs. And Jordan although you now have a full time job let's face it, it's not going to pay all the bills. So we all decided to get you girls something that would help you out."

Brian tosses me a key, Mom tosses Alex a key and Mr. Perez gives Beth a key as well. I'm looking at the key. Not entirely sure what it's for.

"You're giving us a storage unit?" I ask.

"Yeah Jordan, we're giving y'all a storage unit to share," Mom says sarcastically.

"We don't want you girls to have to worry about money and keeping a roof over your heads so we decided to buy you a condo," Mr. Perez says.

Wait, did he just say they bought us a condo? Alex, Beth and I are looking at each other with surprised and shocked looks on our face.

"Papi, you bought us a condo?" Beth asks.

Mr. Perez is nodding his head. "Yes mija. Your mother, the Johnsons, and I don't want you girls to worry about anything why you're out continuing your education and entering the work force. I want you to focus on your studies mija, I don't want you to have to worry aboot anything."

"Oh my God!" Beth exclaims. "Thank you!"

Beth practically jumps into her parents arms. Alex and I hug our parents and then we hug the Perez's.

"Y'all didn't have to do this," I tell them.

"Jordan we weren't going to let you be homeless," Mom says.

"And we certainly weren't going to let you live at home," Brian says. "You and Alex are 22 now, time for you to leave the nest."

"What's the place like?" Alex asks. "What does it look like?"

"Well the condo is located in the North York Area so it'll be a bit of a commute for you girls to go to school," Mr. Perez says.

"The kitchen is muy bonita," Mrs. Perez says.

"There's only one parking space so y'all will have to take turns using it," Brian says.

"It's three and half bedrooms and two bathrooms," Mr. Perez tells us.

Three and a half bedrooms? Wow, that's a bit much.

"Why are there three and a half bedrooms?" I ask. "There's only three-."

Oomph. Elbow in the side, elbow in the side. Beth just elbowed me. I look at her and she's telling me to shut up.

"I mean the half is throwing me off," I quickly correct myself.

"Well you girls can use it as a work study room," Mr. Perez tells us.

"Wow, thank you so much. I don't know what else to say."

Once again all of the children hug their parents. Now my parents and Beth's parents are walking away. Alright, they're far away now. I turn to look at Beth.

"Why did you just elbow me?" I ask her. "That hurt."

"I elbowed you to keep you from saying something stupid," she tells me.

"What was I going to say stupid? Our parents got us a condo with three and a half bedrooms when we only need two."

Beth isn't saying anything. She's pretty much looking everywhere but at me.

"Wait," Alex starts. "Do your parents not know that you and Jordan have been sleeping together?"

No, that can't be it. Beth's eyes widen and she quickly looks down. Whoa, wait a minute.

"You're parents don't know that for the past, hmm I don't know, four years we've been sleeping together," I ask her.

"Hon, how do they not know that?" Paige asks her.

"Because I didn't tell them," Beth says.

"Well that would explain why we could never have sex at your house," I tell her.

"Shh!" Beth says. "Listen my parents do not believe in premarital sex."

"So your parents are ok with you being a bisexual but they're not ok with you having sex before you're married?"

"My parents may be liberal but they're not THAT liberal," Beth says. "My parents are sort of old fashion when it comes to that type of stuff. No sex before marriage."

"Ha ha ha ha," Alex starts laughing. "Your parents still think they're daughter, who happens to be 22 and has been living in a different country for the past four years, is still a virgin? Wow."

"Shut up Alex," I tell her sternly. I turn my attention back to Beth. "So what exactly are we suppose to do? Have a fake bedroom set up for when they come over to visit?"

Beth is nodding her head. "Yep," she answers.

"Wow, alright fine."

"Wow hon, I don't even know what to say," Paige says. "But this is definitely reminding me of when Marco and Dylan moved in together and they had to pretend to have their own separate bedrooms. Good luck when Thanksgiving rolls around."

Alex and Paige are walking away, laughing together. I put my hands on Beth's waist.

"You're still going to sleep in my room though right?" I ask.

"Of course," Beth answers. "You couldn't keep me out of your room even if you wanted to."

"That is something I would never try to do."

Beth and I lean in and share a kiss. Wow, there's a reason why I definitely have to propose to Beth as soon as possible. I don't think I'll be able to pretend we're not sharing the same room.

**Later:**

Let's Get It is still rocking out as the graduation party continues. I'm having a lot of fun hanging out with friends and family. And I've been drinking a lot of punch which means it's time to tinkle. I head inside the house to use the bathroom.

I'm in the bathroom doing my own thing. I don't think I need to give you the exact details. All done! I wash my hands and start to head back downstairs. Wait, is that Paige and Sage? I stopped on the middle of the stairs where I can see them but they can't see me.

"Hello Paige," Sage greets her.

"Hi Sage," Paige greets her back. "Congrats on graduating hon. I heard you were number two in your class."

"Yeah thanks," Sage says quickly. "Listen Paige I think we need to have talk."

"And what are we talking aboot?"

Sage approaches Paige closer. "I'm going to say this one time and one time only so listen up. Don't think just because I'll be in New York and Alex will be in Toronto with you means you'll get her back. Sure you two might be best buddies now but it's only a matter of time before you screw up again. I'm warning you Paige, don't try to get with Alex."

"Hon, no offense but didn't we already do this before? I believe it was three years ago in the mini-golf bathroom."

Uh-oh Paige is using her Queen Bee voice. This is about to get good.

"It's a shame really that you're going to be so far away," Paige says. "You were already so self-conscious and jealous whenever I would visit and that's when you and Alex were living together. I can't imagine how you'll feel now knowing that you'll be over 340 miles away from Lexie while I'll just be right down the street."

"I'm warning you Michalchuk," Sage says in a threatening tone. "If you even think about doing anything with my girlfriend I'll-."

"You'll what?" Paige interrupts Sage. "If you truly loved Alex then you would trust her and if you trusted her then you wouldn't be threatening me right now."

"Oh but I do trust Alex, it's you that I don't trust. I see the way you look at her, even when you were with Riley. Although it's been over three and a hlaf years since you two were together I know you still have feelings for her."

"Hon, seriously, you need to stop be delusional. Lexie and I are just friends and if you can't see that then maybe you need to reevaluate your relationship with her. Just a suggestion."

Paige turns on her heels and walks away. Wow, I think that was better than the first round. Sage also walks back outside. I finish walking down the stairs and go back into the backyard where the party is. Alex approaches me.

"Hey it's show time," she tells me.

I nod my head. "Ok."

Alex puts her hands on my shoulders and looks me right in the eyes. "You can do this," she tells me confidently. "You're Jordan Johnson."

"Right I'm Jordan Johnson."

Alex nods her head. "Now go up there." Alex pushes me.

Let's Get It finishes their song and I walk onto the stage. Joe, the lead singer, hands me the microphone.

"Hey everyone," I say into the microphone. "How ya feeling?"

Everyone cheers.

"Well I would just like to thank everyone again for coming out tonight. It really means a lot to Alex, Beth, and me that you came out here to celebrate such a huge day for us. I didn't think college graduation day would ever come but it did and I would just like to thank everyone who helped get me here."

Everyone starts clapping and cheering again.

"Now I'm going to change the subject a little bit," I tell them. "Almost four and a half years ago I went on a blind date. Now I had no idea who this person was going to be because Alex and Paige had set up the date and they refused to tell me who it was. Little did I know they set me up with the woman of my dreams. Let's Get It has kindly allowed me to perform on stage with them." I look at Beth. "Bethany Perez, this one's for you."

I look over at the band and they give me head nods, telling me they're ready. I take a deep breath.

_Baby baby baby baby baby baby_

Joe starts playing the opening notes and chords on the piano.

_I Will Never Find Another Lover__  
__Sweeter Than You__  
__Sweeter Than You__  
__And I Will Never Find Another Lover__  
__More Precious Than You__  
__More Precious Than You__  
__Girl You Are…__  
__Close To Me You're Like My Mother,__  
__Close To Me You're Like My Father,__  
__Close To Me You're Like My Sister,__  
__Close To Me You're Like My Brother_

The guitars start up.

_And You Are The Only One, My Everything__  
__And For You This Song I Sing..._

_All My Life__  
__I Prayed For Someone Like You__  
__And I Thank God__  
__That I...That I Finally Found You_

I start dancing.

_All My Life__  
__I Prayed For Someone Like You__  
__And I Hope That You Feel The Same Way Too__  
__Yes, I Pray That You Do Love Me Too_

I point to Beth. She's smiling at me and it's helping ease my nerves.

_I'd Said You All That I'm Thinking Of...Ooooh baby_

_Said I Promise To Never Fall In Love With A Stranger__  
__You're All I'm Thinking Of__  
__I Praise The Lord Above _*I point up to the sky.*_  
__For Sending Me Your Love__  
__I Cherish Every Hug__  
__I Really Love You_

_So much!_

I get down on my knees for a dramatic effect.

_All My Life (Ohhhh..Baby, Baby)__  
__I Prayed For Someone Like You__  
__And I Thank God__  
__That I...That I Finally Found You__  
__All My Life__  
__I Prayed For Someone Like You__  
__And I Hope That You Feel The Same Way Too__  
__Yes, I Pray That You Do Love Me _

I jump off the stage and start dancing toward Beth.

_You're All That I Ever Know,__  
__When You Smile All My Face Glows,__  
__You Turned My Life Around,__  
__You Picked Me Up *_I point my finger up* _When I Was Down,_*I point my finger down*_  
_

The band starts singing as I clap my hands.

_You're All That I've Ever Known,__  
__When You Smile My Face Glows_

Everyone else joins in on the clapping.

_You Picked Me Up When I Was Down__  
__Say...You're All That I've Ever Known__  
__When You Smile My Face Glows__  
__You Picked Me Up When I Was Down__  
__And I Hope That You__  
__Feel The Same Way Too_

The clapping end as the music starts back up.

_Yes, I Hope That you Feel the Same Way too_

_And All My Life__  
__I Prayed For Someone Like You__  
__And I Thank God__  
__That I..That I Finally Found You_

I'm right in front of Beth singing to her.

_All My Life__  
__I Prayed For Someone Like You__  
__And I Hope That You Feel the Same Way Too_

_All My Life_

The music stops and now it's just me singing. I place my hand on Beth's waist pulling her closer to me.

_I Prayed For Someone Like You_

_And I Hope That You Do Love Me to_

_Yes I Pray That You Do…_

As I sing the last word I get down on one knee and pull out the box I've had in my pocket all day. I open the box and Beth's eyes widen and she covers her mouth. I can hear everyone around us gasping. I'm breathing hard. It's now or never.

"Bethany Perez," I start. "Will you make me the happiest woman in the world and marry me?"

You ever get the feeling like everything in your body just dropped down to your stomach? Yeah that's how am feeling right now. It seems like forever since I popped the question. Beth removes her hands from her mouth.

"Yes!" she yells. "Of course I'll marry you!"

Oh my god! Oh my God! I didn't even know I had stopped breathing until now. I get off my knee and put the ring on Beth's finger. Beth just practically jumped me but it's ok because her lips are on mine and I have to say that this is the best kiss I've ever gotten in my whole life. I can hear a faint sound and I think it's of everyone clapping and cheering but I can't tell because my heart is still pounding in my ears. Beth said yes, she said yes.

**Later:**

I don't know who said make-up sex or angry sex was the best because they obviously never had engagement sex. Now THAT is amazing.

"Wow," I say, exhausted and out of breath.

Beth giggles and kisses me. "Engagement sex is amazing," she says, also in an exhausted voice.

"You're amazing," I tell her.

"No, you're amazing. I mean look at this thing." Beth holds up her left hand showing me the nice new edition on her left finger.

"Well I was talking about your skills but if you think the rock is amazing…"

"I didn't say you were amazing because of the ring. Trust me, you're amazing for other things besides this ring." She winks at me.

I can't help but start laughing. I pull her close to me and start kissing her neck.

"Mmm," she moans. "Do you know when you want to get married?"

"I'd marry you right now if I could," I tell her while continuing my assault on her neck.

"How aboot August then?"

Wait, did she just say August? I pop my head up and look at her.

"You mean of next year?" I ask.

Beth shakes her head and giggles. "No of course not silly," she says. "I mean this August."

"The August that's in less than three months August?"

Beth is nodding her head. I sit up a little because I need to think.

"That's a really short engagement," I inform her.

"I know."

"Three months is like really really short. We don't even have anything planned yet. No caterer, florist, we don't even know where we're going to get married."

Beth sits up and places her arm around my neck. "Didn't you just say you'd marry me right now if you could?" I nod my head. "Well I want to get married before school starts."

I smile at here. "Sure," I tell her. "Anything you want."

Beth smiles at me. "Good."

Question, does anyone know how to plan a wedding in less than three months?  


* * *

**A/N: Wow, can you believe Jordan and Beth are getting married? And in less than three months! Wowzers.**


	50. You Have to Play the Electric Slide

**A/N: So once again I'm going to try to update four times in one day. I just want everyone to know that this chapter set up is a little different than the others. The whole chapter is over the course of three months and I divided it up by the different parts of wedding planning. I probably didn't do everything but then again y'all don't need to know every exact detail since you'll be at the wedding. Oh yeah, you're all invited to Jordan and Beth's wedding =)**

**-First update of Dec. 27 12:37 pm**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi or its characters but I do own a prom dress that I have no idea the location of.  
**

* * *

Did you know that one of the Irish wedding traditions is for the bride to wear a **blue** wedding dress? Yep, and a Mexican tradition is that during the marriage vows, a white ribbon or rosary, called a "lasso", is symbolically wrapped around the necks of the couple, which represents their joining. And during a traditional wedding ceremony in Venezuela, the families of the bride and groom exchange 13 gold coins, to symbolize prosperity and good fortune. The traditional Irish wedding cake is a fruit cake a Mexican wedding cake is also a fruit cake but soaked in rum. And apparently in Venezuela it is traditional for newlyweds to sneak away from their own wedding reception without saying good-bye. It's considered to bring good luck to the union. Do you want to know the one and only wedding tradition North American black people have? Playing the electric slide, that's it!

We have LESS than three months to plan a wedding. Less than THREE months. Do you know how hard it is to plan a wedding in less than three months? Do you know how hard it is to plan a wedding where your bride-to-be wants to celebrate her heritage and culture at the ceremony and reception in less than three months? Do you know how hard it is to plan a wedding where your bride-to-be wants to celebrate her heritage and culture and it just so happens that she has three different cultures as part of her heritage, in less than three months? Do you know how HARD it is to plan a cultural wedding when your bride-to-be is Mexican, Irish, AND Venezuelan? IT'S FUCKING HARD! But lucky for us we have the great Paige Michalchuk as our wedding planner.

**Venue:  
**"Ok before we go any further you two need to pick the venue for the ceremony and the reception," Paige tells us. "Now I'm going to be honest with you, it's going to be very hard to find a place to hold this because for most places you have to reserve them like six months in advance. For the really good places you have to reserve them a year in advance."

We're currently in the condo right now trying to plan for this wedding. It's June which means we have about two months to plan this whole thing. Beth wants to have the wedding on August 14th and then she wants to go honeymooning in Maui. Now I'm all for the honeymoon in Maui but I have no idea how we're going to plan both the wedding and the reception in two months. Even with Paige's help I don't know how we're going to pull this off.

"Why don't you just get married at the church down the street and then have the reception at Mom and Dad's house?" Alex suggests.

"I totally agree with Alex on this one," I tell them.

Beth looks at me. "Jordan I want to get married somewhere beautiful," she says. "Somewhere that has a special meaning to us."

"I agree with Beth," Paige says. "Your wedding is a celebration of your love for each other and you should celebrate it somewhere that is special to the both of you."

"Our bedroom is special to me," I tell them. "Can we have it there?"

Oomph! Beth just threw a pillow at me and it hit me square in the face.

"Be serious Jordan," Beth says.

"Fine fine. Just pick a place, I don't care where it is."

Beth's face just lit up. It looks like she has an idea. I wonder if this was a cartoon show if a light bulb would have just lit up over her head.

"Degrassi," she says.

What! I think Alex, Paige, and I just all fell out of our chairs. She can't be serious.

"Uh hon," Paige starts. "You can't be serious."

"Yeah," I agree with Paige. "Beth we can't get married at Degrassi," I tell her seriously. "It's Degrassi."

"Exactly," Beth says. "It's the place where we met and fell in love."

"Oh well if you're going with that then we should get married at the movie theater where we had our first date."

Beth is looking at me with a deadpan look on her face. "Jordan, don't be silly," she says. "That would just be ridiculous."

"And having our wedding at Degrassi isn't?"

Beth gets up from her seat and sits on my lap. She's playing with my hair now. Don't cave in Jordan, don't cave in.

"Jordan," she says my name in a sad puppy dog way. "You said to just pick a place that you didn't care. The night you proposed to me you promised I could have the wedding of my dreams. Well my dream is marry you at the place where I first saw you and fell in love with you."

Beth is looking at me with those sad puppy dog eyes. I can't help but give in.

"Ok," I tell her. "We can have it at Degrassi. We'll have it outside on the football field."

Beth smiles widely at me. Mmm, I'm rewarded with kisses.

"Yay!" she says. Beth turns and looks at Paige. "Paige I need you to call whoever you need to call to get us permission to have the wedding on the Degrassi football field."

"Alright hon," Paige says. "I'll make some calls."

"I love you," Beth tells me.

"I love you too."

Beth hops off my lap and goes off somewhere with Paige. I sigh. I can't believe I just agreed to have my wedding at Degrassi. Degrassi, of all places!

"Whitchx!"

I turn around and look at Alex. She looks back at me with a smile on her face.

"Whitchx!" Alex makes the sound again and this time with the hand motion. "You are so whipped."

"Shut up," I tell her. "Unlike me, Beth has been dreaming about her wedding day since she was like five. I just want to say "I do" and cut the cake."

"You're getting married at Degrassi. Degrassi!"

"Yeah, well it's better than getting married in an alley I guess."

"Not by much," Alex mutters.

"Shut up."

**The Dress:  
**So it has been confirmed that the wedding will take place on the Degrassi football field. For some reason I feel like American white trash for getting married on a football field. Unfortunately August is the start of football season which means the football players start practicing on that field in July which means that by the time the wedding actually rolls around the field will be torn up. Lucky for us though there's this company in Toronto that specializes in keeping grass looking nice and field. You know how golf courses always look nice and green? Yep, this is the same company that works on the grass at all the gold courses in Toronto. We hired them to fix the grass for us a couple of days before the actual ceremony and we talked to Simpson into not having the football team practice at least four days before the big day.

Now you would have thought the whole having my wedding at Degrassi would be the thing to stress me out. Oh no, the place of the wedding is the least of my worries.

"You look so pretty!" my mom gushes.

"You look like a pretty princess!" Alex says in a mocking tone.

I'm glaring at Alex sending her death rays via my eyes. "I hate you," I tell her.

"And I hate that you look so pretty!" she says and smiles at me.

Alex is really having a good time with this. I look at myself in the mirror. I'm wearing a white poufy dress with a long ass train. This is not what I signed up for. When I got down on my knee that day and asked Beth to marry me I did not think I'd have to wear a dress. I HATE dresses! The only reason why I'm even trying on dresses is because Beth begged me to and Brian said he wouldn't help pay for the wedding unless I was in a dress. I hate the world.

"This isn't the dress for me," I tell Mom and Alex.

"What are you talking aboot?" Alex asks. "All this pouf is definitely you." Alex pats the bottom of the big poufy dress.

I slap Alex's hands away. "I just want something nice and simple. No pouf, no train."

"Are you sure you don't want a train?" Stacey, one of the employees of the shop asks me.

I nod my head. "Definitely no train," I tell her. "I really just want a very simple dress. Nothing fancy."

"But this is your wedding day."

"Yeah it's also my fiancé's wedding day which is the only reason why I agreed to wear a dress in the first place," I tell Stacey. "If it were up to me I would just wear the same outfit Ellen DeGeneres wore to her wedding."

"Well I'll go check to see if we have 'simpler' dresses," Stacey says and leaves.

"Jordan, honestly I think you are making this more difficult than it needs to be," Mom says.

"No Mom, I think **this **is more difficult than it needs to be," I tell her. "I'm not making this difficult, it just is. I don't do dresses. You know this, Dad knows this, Beth knows this, and hell the whole world knows this. I don't like dresses nor do I feel comfortable in them."

"I'm asking for this one day Jordan this one day. One day where I just want you to be a girly girl."

I turn around and look at my mother. "One day," I tell her while holding up one finger. "This one day I will suck it up and wear a dress, but ONLY because my fiancé wants me to and let's be honest, this wedding is more for her than me."

"To be honest with you sweetie I don't really care the reason why you're wearing the dress, just as long as you wear one."

Alex starts laughing. Well at least my mother is honest. Stacey comes back over to us with a new dress in hand.

"I think you'll like this one," she says.  
"Let's hope so," Alex mutters. "This will only be like her twentieth dress."

"I have no problem kicking you right in the face right now," I tell her.

Alex just sticks her tongue out at me. She can be such a child sometimes.

**The Music:  
**"Alright it's time to talk aboot the music," Paige announces.

We're once again in the condo discussing the wedding and as always Alex is here. I mean let's face it, school doesn't start for her till August so she might as well help with the planning of the wedding. We need all the help we can get.

"I think we should hire DJ Incredible," I tell them. "He DJed my birthday bash and we all saw and experienced how much fun that was."

"Jordan we're not going to have some club DJ playing club music at our wedding," Beth says.

"Isn't the music during the reception though? I see no problem with playing club music at the reception."

"Hon, this is a **wedding** reception, not a party," Paige says.

I raise my eyebrow. "Isn't a wedding reception a party though? I mean there's music, dancing, gifts, and cake. That sounds like a party to me."

"Jordan a wedding reception is the celebration of the wedding. The classiness of the wedding needs to spread to the reception. Let's say for example Lexie and I were getting married."

Alex sits up straight. "Did you propose or did I?" she asks.

"Hon, that doesn't really matter for this," Paige tells her. "Anyway let's say we were getting married. Lexie on the count of three we'll both say who we'd want playing at our reception. 1, 2, 3…"

"Kesha," Alex says.

"Michael Bublé," Paige says at the same time.

Wait, did Alex really just say Kesha? We're all looking at her with the same weird look.

"Kesha?" Paige asks. "Hon, you would have Kesha playing at our wedding?"

Alex shrugs her shoulders. "You'd have Michael Bublé playing."

"Michael Bublé plays amazing pop jazz music and has won numerous awards. You want the girl who farts out glitter to play at our wedding?"

Ok, now it's time to give Paige the weird look.

"Farts glitter?" I ask. "How old are you?"

"Oh you all know it's true!" she shouts.

"Well at least we'd have fun with Kesha," Alex says.

"We'd have fun with Michal Bublé!" Paige exclaims. "We'd have a lot of fun!"

Ok I have to stop this madness before it goes further. I raise my hands up, signaling to Paige and Alex to shut up.

"Ok we're not going to have you two arguing any longer about who will be playing at you pretend futuristic wedding," I tell them. I turn my attention to Beth. "I want music that I can dance to. Music that I can shake my money make to."

Beth raises her eyebrow. "Your money maker?" she asks.

"You know what I'm trying to get at. I know you want music that celebrates your heritage and everything but you have to remember that this wedding is about the both of us. It's about us bringing our two lives together to form one. I'll make a deal with you."

"Go on…"

"If you let me have DJ Incredible play at our wedding then… I will learn the Paso Doble and I will let you play that God awful Irish song that you want played so much and I will learn the Irish Jig. But if I learn these two dances then we HAVE to play the electric slide."

I'm holding out my hand to Beth to shake. She looks like she's thinking about it. Oh come on, she's getting more out of this than I am. I'm the one that has to learn TWO dances. Beth smiles and shakes me hand.

"You have yourself a deal Jordan Johnson," Beth says happily.

"Alrighty then," Paige says. "I guess I'll call DJ Incredible and find someone to teach you the Pablo Doble and the Irish jig."

Paige and Beth get up from the seats and go to the back office. I sigh in relief.

"Whitchx!"

"Shut up Alex!" I yell.

**Catering:  
**I had to choose to marry someone who's proud of her heritage, I just had to. If it was up to me we'd have fried chicken, mash potatoes, rolls, and a salad bar at this wedding. But nooo, that's not fancy enough and it doesn't show the guests who we really are.

"Jordan, I want traditional food at our wedding," Beth says.

"Then let's have tacos and potatoes," I tell her. "Tacos for the Mexican side of you and potatoes for the Irish side of you."

Oomph! Ok I'll admit that I deserved a pillow to the face for that one.

"You know you deserved that one right?"Alex asks me.

I nod my head. "Yeah I did."

"Food is one of the most important things at the reception," Paige tells us.

"Question, why and how do you know exactly what is important at a wedding and a wedding reception when you're a fashion designer?" I ask.

"Because I am multi talented hon. I know everything."

Alex leans forward. "What am I thinking aboot right now?"

"You want a kit-kat right now," Paige says nonchalantly.

Alex gasps. "She does know everything!"

I shake my head. These two are so ridiculous sometimes, especially Alex.

"I have to be honest with you Beth," I start. "We're already celebrating your heritage with the actual ceremony and the dancing at the reception. How about we leave the food to me?"

"Ok Jordan, what do you want?" Beth asks me.

"I say we hire Chef's Catering," I tell her. "I've already looked at their menu and the Wedding Extravaganza is amazing! They have an imported and domestic cheese platter, fillet mignon, AND a mixed seafood platter that includes jumbo tiger shrimp."

"Oh my God no way!" Alex exclaims. "I LOVE jumbo tiger shrimp!"

I turn to Beth while pointing at Alex. "See! People love jumbo tiger shrimp!"

Beth looks like she's thinking. I'm crossing my fingers hoping she'll say yes. Please say yes, please say yes.  
"Ok fine, you can hire them," Beth says.

SUCCESS!

"But the food better be amazing Jordan Johnson! I mean it."

"Of course," I tell her. "Nothing but the best."

Paige checks something off her clipboard. "Alright I'll call Chef's Catering."

Alex and I high-five each other. Jumbo tiger shrimp here we come.

**Flowers:  
**I never really understood why people would freak out about flowers. I mean they're just a bunch of flowers that are going to die about a week later. I'm at the flower shop with right now with Beth and Paige. I personally don't think we need flowers because we're already going to be outside.

"Alright hon," Paige starts. "What exactly is the color scheme for the wedding?"

"Well as you know I will be wearing a royal blue wedding dress that you're designing, of course," Beth says.

"Of course."

"And my bridesmaids will be wearing ice blue."

Yeah, I know what you're thinking. That's a lot of blue.

"Jordan will be wearing white and her bridesmaids will be wearing red so I would like flowers that don't clash with us."

"How about we just get white roses?" I suggest.

Beth and Paige turn around and look at me. Oh I guess they forgot I was here or something.

"I mean white doesn't exactly clash with anything and they're beautiful and they're my favorite kind of flowers."

"So you want white roses everywhere?" Paige asks.

"I don't know about everywhere. I mean you two are really the ones planning the wedding so I don't know the exact details but I would love white roses. I mean yeah red rose means love but that's been done so many times before. Besides white means purity and innocence and that's exactly what this wedding is, two young innocent kids pledging their love to each other."

Beth is nodding her head. "White roses it is then," she says.

"Ok," Paige says and checks something off her clip board.

**Wedding Party:  
**As we're getting closer to the wedding it's time to choose those participating in the wedding including our maids of honor, ring bearer, flower girl, ect. Of course my maid of honor is Alex, seeing as she's my best friend and sister. Beth chose Paige as her maid of honor which actually made Paige shed a tear. It was a very touchingmoment, for them. Once again we're in the condo discussing other members of the wedding parties.

"Alright you need to pick a ring bearer," Paige tells us.

"Obviously Major," I tell her.

Beth looks at me. "Can Major really handle that?" she asks.

"Beth, the boy is three years old. All he has to do is walk down the aisle holding a pillow. I think he can handle that."

"As long as someone makes sure he uses the bathroom before hand," Alex points out.

"Yeah, as long as he tinkles beforehand he'll be good. Plus Major is likes the cutest little boy we know. Who wouldn't want him as their ring bearer?"

"You do have a point there," Beth says. "Ok, Major is the ring-bearer."

"Ok," Paige says and checks something off on her clip board. "Next is flower girl."

"My cousin Shawanda has a six year old daughter," I tell them

"We have a cousin Shawanda?" Alex asks.

"You would know these things if you went to the family reunion."

"Eh, no thanks. I wasn't ready to handle Mom's side of the family. I could barely handle Dad's."

"Do you even talk to Shawanda?" Beth asks me.

I shrug my shoulders. "We're friends on facebook."

Beth is shaking her head. "Nu-uh," she says. "How aboot the flower girl be someone we actually know? Oo, we could ask Juliana if her little sister would like to be flower girl!"

I cross my arms across my chest. "I don't know Juliana's sister."

"But you know Juliana. Plus her sister is really cute."

"Alright fine, call Juliana up."

"Alright so we have the ring bearer and flower girl," Paige says while writing something down. "Now Jordan, who's part of your party?"

"Umm... there's Alex, Amy, my cousin Cindy, Jay."

"Wait… Jay is one of your groomsmen?" Paige asks.

I nod my head. "The dude gave me really good seats to the Laker's game."

Paige shakes her head and sighs. "Ok, go on."

"Umm… Marco and Josh."

"Ok," Paige says and writes something down. "And what aboot yours Beth."

"Well there's you, Juliana, mi prima Gabriela, Samantha, Ellie, and Belinda."

"Who are Samantha and Belinda?" I ask.

"They're my friends from Forever 21 back in Miami," Beth says in a duh tone.

"Alright whatever. Any other positions we need to fill?"

"Nope that's it," Paige says. "Do you two know how your entrances are going to be?"

"Oh we've already discussed this."

"Yes," Beth agrees. "First we'll have the flower girls walking down the aisle throwing white rose petal everywhere. Then each of our wedding parties will walk down the aisle. Then Jordan will have her father walk her down the aisle and once she reaches the altar my father will walk me down the aisle."

"And while I'm walking down the aisle I'm going to have a Peter Stone and his band playing the rock version of the Bridal Chorus."

Beth is looking at me with a serious look on your face. "No you're not," she tells me seriously.

I smile at her. "Hey if you get to celebrate your heritage then I get to play rock and roll during my entrance. Compromise babe, compromise."

"Ugh, fine," Beth groans. "You can have your rock."

I'm nodding my head and smirking. I turn around and Alex and I high-five each other.

"That is going to be one sick entrance," Alex says.

"Hell yeah it is!"

Ya know I didn't think it could be done but I think we actually just planned a whole wedding in less than two months. I think I'm ready for August 14th to come.


	51. Time for the Bachelor ette Party!

**A/N: Second update of De. 27. I don't know why it took me so damn long to type this one. I blame my family.**

**-Posted at 5:21 pm**

**Dislcaimer: I do not own Degassi or its characters.  
**

* * *

Oh my God, it's almost here. I can't believe it's almost here. In 72 hours I will be getting married. Oh my God, I'm getting married in three days, THREE days! Hmm, I feel slightly grown up now. Ha ha, I'm grown up.

Tonight is my bachelorette party with the girls. To be honest I'm slightly scared because Alex, Paige, and Sage planned it. Yeah I can't believe it either, Paige and Sage actually worked on something together and they're both still alive. It's quite amazing.

"So what shall I be expecting at this party?" I ask Alex.

"A lot of booze and a lot of fun," she says.

"Booze always equals fun."

_Knock, knock._

Alex gets up from the couch to answer the door. Paige walks into the condo with a smile on her face and she's holding two big brown bags.

"Hi hon!" she greets me.

"Hello Paige," I greet her back. I point at the backs. "What's in the bags?" I ask.

"You will find out soon enough." Paige turns her attention to Alex. "Are we ready to go?"

"We're still waiting for Sage," Alex tells her.

"Can't she just meet us there?"

"Yeah, can't she just meet us there?" I ask.

"No, she cannot just meet us there," Alex tells us. "We're going to wait for her."

"Ugh," I groan. "I'm going to be late to my own bachelorette party."

"You don't even know where it is so be quiet," Alex says.

_Knock, knock_

Alex opens the door and there's Sage.

"Sorry I'm late," Sage apologizes. "These taxi drivers suck here."

I wave her off. "Yeah yeah yeah," I say. "Taxi drivers here aren't as good as the ones in New York. Yeah, whatever. Can we just go now?"

"Umm, in a rush much?"

"There is a lot of booze waiting for me somewhere and I am ready to party."

"Well alrighty then," Alex says. "Let's go!"

Excitement doesn't even describe how I'm feeling right now.

**Party!:**

Whoa, I did not expect this. I'll admit that I thought we were going to have my bachelorette party at hotel but I thought it was going to be like the Marriot or Holiday Inn not the Royal York.

"Wow!" I exclaim as we pull up to the hotel.

"Yes, be impressed," Alex says.

"You set this up?" I ask Alex.

"Well…"

"Don't even hon," Paige interrupts Alex. Paige looks at me. "I picked the hotel hon."

I place my hand on Paige's shoulder. "You are now my new best friend.'

"Oh that hurts," Alex says.

Paige grins. "Thanks hon!"

"Can we just get out of the car now?" Sage asks.

Well I guess someone doesn't want to be in the car full of love anymore. We all get out of the car as Paige hands the valet guy her keys. We walk through the hotel entrance.

"Wow!" I exclaim in awe.

"You just sounded like Major," Alex tells me.

"That's because this place is ah-mazing! Dude, look at the chandelier!"

I'm pointing up to the giant crystal chandelier that's hanging from the ceiling. I have to admit, if it hadn't been for that fact that we only had three months to plan the wedding I would have suggested this place for the ceremony AND reception.

"Jordan!" Paige calls me name.

I look away from the amazing mesmerizing crystal chandelier and look in the direction where I heard my name being called. Alex, Paige, and Sage are at the elevators and Paige is waving me over.

"I know the chandelier is amazing hon but it's time to get to the party!" Paige says.

I'm practically running to the elevator. I reach the elevator and jump in. Alex presses the number 15 button. I'm so excited.

"You're bouncing up and down like a little kid Jordan," Sage tells me.

"You should have seen her on our way to the Laker's game," Alex says. "She was making the whole care move with her bouncing on our way to the stadium."

"So excited!" I squeal.

_Ding!_

We're here! I allow the others to leave the elevator before me because I have no idea where we're going. We're walking down the hallway and wow we're walking down pretty far. We reach the end the hallway and we're standing in front of a door that says _Prime Minister's Suite. _Ok, now I'm REALLY excited.

"We're here!" Paige says.

Paige pulls out the key card and slides in into the door. Paige opens the door and Kesha instantly hits my ear. I walk into the suite. Wow, I must say they REALLY outdid themselves. This suit is HUGE! There's people serving food, booze galore, and like twenty of my closest girl friends in here. All of my friends are here including Amy, Erin, and Bridget from FSU. I see Cindy is already a bit tipsy.

"Jordan!" Cindy cries out. "My favorite cousin! You're getting married in three days!" Cindy is holding up three fingers.

"Ok whatever Cindy has been drinking I was some of that!" I yell.

Someone hands me a glass of something. I swing my head back and drink the drink. Whoa buddy!

"What was that?" I ask.

"That my friend was an Adios Mother Fucker," Erin tells me.

"That was intense."

Erin is nodding her head. "Yeah your cousin Cindy has had two of them."

I see Cindy jumping up and down on the couch singing along to "Your Love Is My Drug". Ok if that's how she is after two drinks then I have a very good feeling about this party.

**Hours Later:**

Bachelorette party is still going hard and strong. I'm actually a bit drunk right now. Well actually everyone is a bit drunk right now. We just got done singing karaoke and I have to admit that for once Paige sounded very good. Or maybe I just think that because of the alcohol.

I've been noticing something throughout the party. Every time Alex and Sage kiss Paige takes a double shot of tequila. Yeah, not a regular shot but a double shot and she just looks on with sad puppy dog eyes. I just want to pull her into a giant bear hug and tell her that everything is going to be alright.

"Oh my God, Paige do you know any Calvin Klein models," Amy asks.

Paige laughs. "Why hon?" she asks. "Are you looking for a new boyfriend?"

"Not so much a boyfriend but just someone to keep me warm at night."

"Amy, why don't you just settle down already?" I ask.

Amy sticks out her tongue at me. "Not everyone can be like you Jordan and find their true love in high school and then get married right after they graduate from college! You lucky bitch!"

I throw my hands in the air. "Yes, I am quite lucky!"

_Knock, knock, knock!_

Either someone is knocking at the door or my brain is pounding against my brain.

"Shh!" Paige tries to quiet everyone down. "Girls, I think we're being a bit too loud."

Whoa! Cindy just randomly pushed me into the arm chair. Paige goes to the door and opens it up. Two policemen walk into the room. Wait, wouldn't hotel staff talk to us first before calling the police?

"Hello officers," Paige greets them. "How can we help you?"

"Well ma'am we've been getting some complaints from other hotel guests and the staff aboot the noise level in this room," Officer #1 tells us.

"Is there some type of party going on in here?" Officer #2 asks.

"It's my cousin's bachelorette party!" Cindy yells while pointing at me.

The officers look at each other and now they're looking at me and smiling. I'm not liking those smiles.

"You're the bride-to-be?" Officer #1 asks me.

I nod my head. "Um… yeah," I tell him.

All of the sudden music starts playing. Wait is that _I'm Too Sexy_? The officers have begun dancing to the music. Oh no! Please tell me this isn't what I think it is?

"Take it off!" Cindy yells.

Oh my God, male strippers. The strippers are pumping the crotch into the air to the beat of the music. They're slowly taking off the uniforms. I can't believe this is happening. "Officer" #1 approaches me.

"Want to do the honors and take my belt off for me?" he asks.

"Not really," I tell him.

"Do it!" Erin yells.

"Do it! Do it!" everyone else starts joining in.

I roll my eyes. I reach out and unbuckle the guy's belt. This is so disturbing on so many levels. The guy takes his pants off and now he's dancing in from of me in nothing but a male pouch thong. I turn my head so I don't have to keep staring at his package. I see Alex on the couch laughing her ass off. The other stripper is entertaining the others. Erin and Amy are going crazy, throwing dollar bills at the dude. They're making it rain. God please let this end soon.

**Later:**

Whew! I finally got out of there. No, the strippers are still here entertaining the other girls but I was able to sneak off. I leave the suite, needing some fresh air. Hey Paige is out here too. She's sitting on the floor against the wall and she looks a bit sad. I walk up to her and sit down next to her. Paige looks up at me. She quickly wipes away the tears that were falling down her face.

"What are you doing out here hon?" she asks. "Tired of the strippers?"

I laugh. "I don't know whose idea that was but remind me to kick their ass later," I tell her.

Paige laughs. "It was totally Alex's idea."

"Of course it was. So question, why aren't you in there enjoying the strippers? I mean unlike me you actually like penis."

Paige laughs. "I don't like it THAT much. I needed to get some air. I was tired of seeing…everything."

"Tired of seeing Alex and Sage kissing?"

Paige looks at me with a dumb struck expression. "I have no problem with them kissing," she says. "I mean they're a couple. That's what couples do."

"You took a shot every time they would either kiss or snuggle. Quite frankly I'm surprised you're not passed out."

"I just…"

"Six years."

"Six years? What are you talking aboot hon?"

"Well really five years give or take several months." I look at Paige. "That's how long it took Lucas and Peyton to finally realize that they belonged together. That's how long it took Lucas to propose to Peyton and for her to actually say yes. Well he actually proposed to her before but she said no the first time around."

"Wait, are you talking aboot One Tree Hill?"

I nod my head. "Yes, yes I am. Paige I see the way you look at Alex. You look at her the same way I look at Beth. Although you've been with other people your heart has always been yearning for Alex."

"Jordan…"

I place my hand on Paige's shoulder. "All I'm saying is that you shouldn't wait five or six years to finally tell her how you feel. To tell her that you still love her. That's all I'm saying."

Oomph! Paige just pulled me quickly into a hug. I put my arms around her and hug her back.

"Beth is one lucky woman," Paige says.

I laugh. "I'd like to think so." I stand up and help Paige up. "Now let's get so fucked up we're not going to remember ANY of this tomorrow."

Paige laughs. "I'm with you on that one hon."

Arm and arm Paige and I go back to the party.

**Next Day:**

Ugh, my head hurts. I feel like someone hit me in the head with a giant brink. I slowly get up and look at everyone else. Everyone is passed out. There're girls and clothes all over this room and the two male strippers are still here. I can't remember exactly what happened but I think I might have done a body shot off of one of the male strippers. Thank God we had this three nights before the wedding instead of the night before the wedding. Of course we had to do it this way because tonight is Beth's bachelorette party and Alex, Paige, and Sage are going to be at that one.

I lay my head back down.

_Click, click, click._

What's that sound? It sounds like someone is trying to get into the suite. I hear the door open but I don't have the energy to look up. What the-! A bunch of guys in black masks are in here.

"Oh-."

My mouth is quickly covered by one of the guys. I can't see anything! I can't see! Someone threw a bag over my head. I feel myself being lifted off the floor. Oh my God! I'm being kidnapped! Someone help me!

"Jordan," the guy whispers my name. "Stop freaking out!"

Wait that voice feels familiar? Is that Jay? What the fuck is he doing!

"Just calm down," he says.

I hear the door to the suite be slammed shut. Jay is carrying me down the stairs. I feel the summer breeze hit me and I know we're outside now. I feel like Jay is putting me into a car. The car door slams. I can feel the car door moving. Where are they taking me?

Someone takes the bag off my head. I can see! Wait, I'm in a limo. I rub my eyes to get some of the drunk and sleepiness out of them. Yeah I'm in a limo and Jay, Josh, Marco, my friend Kenneth, and Craig are all looking at me smiling at me. Yeah, I'm also thrown off that Craig Manning is here.

"What's going on?" I ask.

"Welcome to your bachelor…ette party!" Jay announces.

"Wait, what?"

"This is your party with the guys," Jay says while patting my back.

"Yeah, you had your bachelorette party with the girls and now you need your bachelor party with the guys," Kenneth tells me.

"You do know I'm not a guy right?" I ask them.

"I've always considered you a guy," Kenneth says.

"Yeah Jordan," Josh says. "You might be a girl but let's face it, you're one of us."

"And you're part of this Marco?" I ask.

"I didn't really have a choice," Marco says.

Jay throws an arm around Marco. "Marco you may be gay but you're still one of the guys!"

Marco rolls his eyes. "Thanks Jay, that means so much coming from you," he says sarcastically.

"Wait, where are we going?" I ask.

Uh-oh Jay is wearing a mischievous smile on his face. I look at the rest of the guys and besides Marco the rest of them are smiling and chuckling.

"One word Jordan," Jay says while holding up one finger.

"Vegas!" Craig yells.

**Las Vegas:**

They say what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. I believe there's a reason for that. As soon as the guys and I landed in Vegas the partying began. I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to get a new liver just from all the drinking I've done these past two days.

We've hit up all the big casinos, gambling. Jay lost about $1,000. I've won $5, yeah I'm super rich now. Josh accidently hit on a transgendered woman which was actually pretty funny. It's 11pm and right now we're in a limo going somewhere.

"Dude Jay, where are we going?" I ask.

"A place where every groom has to go before they get married," he says.

"I'm the bride!" I yell.

"Yeah ok Jordan, whatever you say."

The limo stops which means we've reached our destination. The guys get out of the limo and I follow them. Josh and Kenneth are high-fiving each other while Jay and Craig just bumped fists. Marco is just laughing. I look at the building in front of us. My mouth literally just fell open. We're standing in front of a strip club. I strip club.

"You brought me to strip club?" I ask drunkenly.

Jay places his hand on my shoulder and holds up a finger. "Not a strip club, but a gentlemen's club," he corrects me.

"Is there a difference?"

"Yes, there is," he says seriously. Well as serious as a drunk man can sound. "A gentlemen's club is classier and the ladies are definitely prettier."

"Does Manny know you brought me to a strip club?" I ask.

"No," he answers. "She knows that I brought you to a **gentlemen's club**."

"What will Beth say about this?"

"Beth won't have to know because we're in Vegas!"

All the other guys cheer. Jay pushes me forward as the others start going in. I pass by the door man and go into the club. Wow, I was expected neon lights and a disco ball hanging but this place definitely looks better than the Zanzibar back in Toronto. A woman is already in the middle of her "performance" as we enter the club. I follow the guys to the stage.

"Nu-uh," Jay says as he steers me into another direction. "You're getting your own private viewing. Just go over there and tell the bouncer your name."

I look to where Jay is pointing. It's two double doors with stars over them and above there's a sign that says _Enter and Your Dreams Will Come True_.

"Dude…," I start.

"You'll love it, go on." He gently pushes me.

I walk over to the guard of the double doors. He looks down at me with a clip board in hand.

"Name," he says. Wow his voice is really deep.

"Umm… Jordan Johnson."

He looks back down at his clipboard. He reaches the middle of the paper and checks something off. He pushes open the door for me.

"Room five, on the left," he says.

"Um… thanks."

I go past the double doors and now I'm in some hallway. I go to the door that has the number five on it. I open the door and walk into the room. There's couch and like cat walk and a small stage with a pole in the center of it. Someone remind me to kill Jay later. No seriously remind me because I might not remember anything about this night. I sit down in the middle of the couch. Whoa, music starts playing.

"Jordan, here on your last night as a single…woman," the random voice says. He sounds slightly confused when he said 'woman'. "We introduce to you, Candy!"

Wow, because Candy is the most original stripper name in the world. Def Leppard's "_Pour Some Sugar On Me" _starts playing. I always knew this was a stripper song. Fog is suddenly in the room as I see a figure walk out on the catwalk. The girl walks onto the stage and she dressed in what looks like a bikini made out of candy wrappers and she has a blow pop in her mouth.

She starts dancing around the pole. I have to admit that she is quite attractive. Her body looks fit, she doesn't have circus boobs and she blonde. To be honest she looks vaguely familiar, or maybe I'm just drunk. Whoa, she just did the splits. She's looking at me sucking on the blow pop. I think if I was a guy this would probably turn me on but the blow pop is throwing it off for me a bit.

Whoa! The dancer just jumped off the stage and now she's approaching me. She pulls my knees apart. The dancer turns her back to me and with the help of her hands on my knees she drops it low right in front of me. God, I know I've seen her somewhere. This isn't even drunk me speaking. I know I've seen this girl before.

"So I heard you're getting married," she says in a sultry voice.

"Um… yeah," I answer nervously.

"To a girl I'm assuming."

I nod my head. "Yeah to my long term girlfriend."

"Well tonight you're single."

The dancer begins to take off her bra. Oh my God! I just became a little bit sober because I know where I know her from!

"Christie?"

The dancer looks up at me surprised. "I'm sorry, I'm Candy," she says. "Is Christie the name of your fiancé?"

I'm shaking my head. "No, Christie is the name of the very first girlfriend I ever had, back in Tampa."

The dancer is looking at me now. She's looking at me hard. "Jordan? Jordan Johnson?"

I'm nodding my head. A smile appears on Christie's face. Oomph, she just jumped into my arms.

"Oh my God, it is you!" she exclaims.

I'm nodding my head. "Yeah it's me. And it's you! Well kind of."

Christie blushes and ties her bra back on. "Umm… yeah, kind of sort of."

I sit down and pat the seat next to me. Christie sits down next to me.

"When did you become Candy?" I ask her.

Christie laughs. "About three years ago."

"Well you did always like dancing back in middle school."

Christie laughs and playfully pushes me.

"You're not going to get in trouble for talking to me are you?" I ask.

She shakes he head. "You already paid so it doesn't matter." Christie looks me up and down. "You look good. Whatever happened to you?"

"Well my stepdad's company transferred him to Canada back in my junior year of high school and I ended up really liking it up there. I ended up going to FSU but I moved back to Toronto after graduation and now I'm getting married."

"Wow," Christie says. "That's amazing."

"Yeah. How did you end up here in Las Vegas?"

"Well after middle school my family moved to San Diego. Let's just say that not everything turned out the way I thought it was going to and when I turned 18 I moved out here to Vegas to become a dancing star. As you can see that didn't quite happen."

"Well if it helps I thought that performance you just did for me was fantastic."

Christie smiles. "Still the charmer I see."

"I'm just nice."

"Yeah you were always nice. That's one of the many great things I remember about you."

"Oh really? What else do you remember?"

Christie puts her elbow up and her hand on my knee. "Well I remember that you're very sweet, smart, quite hilarious and very confident."

"I don't know about the confident part."

"Are you kidding me? Who else would have the nerve to walk up to the girl she likes at the age of 11 and admit to her she likes her."

"That's not being confident, that was me being high off of life that day and I thought I could do anything and be ok."

"Well it did end up being ok. Ya know I never forgot about you."

"I never forgot about you either. You were my first love."

Christie looks at the clock on the wall. "You still have 15 minutes of your session left."

Christie swings her leg over me and now she's straddling me. I don't exactly know how I feel about this. She has her arm around my neck and she's trailing her hand down my body.

"Ya know I was telling the truth earlier when I said that tonight you're single," she says in a very seductive voice.

I'm pretty sure I just gulped loud enough for the whole city of Vegas to hear. "But technically I'm engaged which means I'm not single." I hold up my ring finger to show Christie my engagement ring.

Christie slides my ring off my finger. I can feel her lips grazing mine. My heart is pounding really hard.

"What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas," she says.

* * *

**A/N: So Paige still loves Alex. Well at least that's what Jordan thinks. Next chapter is the wedding!**


	52. Let's Get Married

**A/N: So the reason why it took me so long to post this chapter is because not only is it pretty long but I also had to do a lot of research. Seriously I read about ten different web pages and watched like 5 wedding ceremonies on youtube to make sure I got some of the parts right. Now for those of you who are hispanic you've probably seen an arras and lasso ceremony at a wedding and you'll notice the differences in Jordan and Beth's wedding. Well you have to remember that this is a lesbian wedding so I had to change somethings and I mixed some of the religious part of the cermony with non religious parts. And believe it or not this chapter was suppose to be the wedding AND reception but I decided that would just be too damn long so I'm splitting them up. Seeing how late it is on the east coast (where I live) I probably won't be able to post my fourth update bu midnight tonight east coast time but it'll probably be up before midnight on the west coast. oh well! Anyway, enjoy the wedding!**

**-Third update of Dec. 27 10:54 pm EST**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi or its characters but I do own a lot of knowledge about traditional Mexican/Hispanic weddings so if there is a single hispanic lesbian out there who wants to get married and make it traditional, you can marry me because I already know everything now ;)  
**

* * *

They say a girl's wedding day is the most important day of her life. They fail to mention however that is it also the most nerve wracking day as well. They forget to tell you that right before the ceremony you have this urge to throw up because you're so nervous and you don't want this day to screw up.

I'm staring at myself in the mirror and I can't believe it. Not only am I getting married but I'm also in a dress. It took forever but I found the dress for me. I'm wearing a simple white dress. The silhouette is sheath which means it follows the curves of my body from top to bottom, the neckline is sweetheart, and the fabric is chiffon. There's no train, nothing too spectacular about it but I love it. I have to admit that I do look nice. Of course I'm wearing my hair down and I'm wearing a necklace but no pearls. And I decided not to go with a veil. That was just too much of a hassle for me. And don't tell anyone but I'm wearing white shoes under this dress. Hey, walking in heels is hard enough. Walking in heels in a football field is just damn near impossible.

"Hey, it's almost time," says a voice behind me.

I turn around and Alex is standing in the doorway. She's in her cherry red bride's maid dress with her signature hoop earrings. She decided to wear her hair up and I must say that she looks nice.

"I think I'm going to throw up," I tell her seriously.

Alex chuckles. "No you're not," she says. "That's just the nerves talking." Alex walks over to me and places both hands on my shoulders. "You look beautiful."

I grin. "Thanks."

"So before we go out there I have to ask," she starts. "Did you tell Beth aboot Vegas?"

I turn around and look at Alex. "Christie kissed me and I pushed her away. I said no. Although there was really nothing to tell I did tell her about it. I wasn't going to start this marriage off on a lie."

Alex smiles. "Good choice."

The tent opens up and my mother walks in. She sees me and I can already tell she's on the verge of tears.

"Sweetie, you look so beautiful!" she cries out.

"Thanks Mom," I say. "Maybe you should save the tears for the actual ceremony."

She waves me off. "Trust me, I have plenty of tears for now and later. But I did not come in here to cry, I came in here to give you a few things."

She walks over to me and Alex with a bag in her hand. Mom reaches into the bag and pulls out a pearl necklace.

"Something old," Mom says and puts the pearls around my neck.

Alex reaches into the bag and pulls out cherry ChapStick that's still in the package.

"Something new," she says and hands it to me. "You might want to go ahead and put some on. Your lips are looking a bit chapped."

I can't help but laugh. "Thanks Alex."

Mom reaches into the bag again and this time pulls out a pair of earrings.

"Something borrowed," she says while putting the earrings into my ears. "I wore these earrings when I married your father. I want them back afterward."

I laugh a little. "Ok."

"I'm serious Jordan Johnson. These are my favorite pair of earrings, do not lose them," she says seriously.

"Yes ma'am."

Alex reaches into the bag. "And of course," Alex says and pulls out a blue boutonnière. "Something blue."

Alex pins the boutonnière on me. I look at myself at the mirror. I thought I looked good before but now I look really good. I turn around and smile at Alex and my mother.

"Thank you," I tell them.

"Of course honey," Mom says. "I have to go now but they are ready whenever you are." Mom pulls me into a hug and kisses me on the cheek. She exits the tent and now it's just me and Alex.

"You ready?" Alex asks me.

I take a deep breath and nod. "I'm ready."

Alex and I exit the tent and walk to the area where Amy, Cindy, Marco, Jay, Josh, and Brian are waiting. Brian sees me and grins widely.

"You're beautiful," he tells me and kisses me on the cheek.

"Thanks Dad," I say. "I'm really nervous."

"Girl you have nothing to be nervous about," Cindy says. "You're getting married today to a woman that you love and who loves you. Plus think about the great sex you're gonna have on your honeymoon."

I look at Cindy with wide eyes. "My dad is standing right there," I tell her while pointing at Brian.

Cindy shrugs her shoulders and looks at Brian. "Uncle Brian you know your daughter is a sexual being and will probably have a lot of sex during her honeymoon right?"

Brian looks really uncomfortable. "Cindy, you always find the perfect moments to be inappropriate," he tells her.

"I must say Johnson you clean up nicely," Jay says.

"You do too Jay," I tell him.

"Are you ready?" Marco asks.

"As ready as I'll ever be."

We all walk over to the beginning of the aisle. I can see all the guests and there are a lot of them here. People I graduated with from Degrassi including Jimmy, Spinner, Emma, Toby, and others. My friends from FSU and from work are also here. We make sure everyone is ready. Jay gives Peter the cue to start the music. Peter and his band start playing soft music first. My party is walking down the aisle with Beth's party. Once they reach the alter Juliana's sister, Juanita, goes down the aisle tossing flowers. Right behind her is Major in his tiny little tux carrying a pillow. Those two are just the cutest kids I've ever seen.

"Now you're sure you want to do this?" Brian whispers.

I look at him. "Are you trying to talk me out of this?"

He shakes his head. "Of course not. It's just, when I give you away it means you won't be my little girl anymore."

"Dad, I'll always be your little girl." I kiss Brian on the cheek.

Alex gives Peter the signal and his band starts to play the Bridal March, the rock version. All the guests stand up and turn their heads toward Brian and me. I take his arm with my right arm while my left hand is holding my bouquet. Brian and I start walking down the aisle. Everyone is smiling and some are taking pictures. This isn't too bad, not as bad I thought it was going to be. Don't trip Jordan, don't trip.

We reach the altar and I didn't trip! Brian stands beside me. Peter and his band stop playing. The sounds of a fiddle, Irish flute, a harp, and a bouzouki begin to fill the air. Eventually all the sounds come together and I finally recognize the song, it's _Here Comes the Bride_. I should have know Beth would play this song using traditional Irish instruments. I look down the aisle. Oh my God, I think I've stopped breathing. There she is, my future wife, standing there in her beautiful blue dress next to her father. Beth and Mr. Perez begin their journey down the aisle. I can't stop smiling, even if I wanted to I wouldn't be able to stop smiling right now. Beth is smiling back at me which is easing my nerves. Beth and Mr. Perez finally make it down here.

"Who gives this woman to this woman in marriage?" the priest ask, first pointing to me and then to Beth.

"I do," Brian says.

"And who gives this woman to this woman in marriage?" the priest asks again, but this time point to Beth and then to me.

"I do," Mr. Perez says.

Brian gives my hand to Beth while Mr. Perez gives Beth's hand to me. They both sit down in their seats.

"Dear family and friends, on behalf of Jordan and Bethany I welcome all of you for this marriage celebration," the minister says. "We are here today to encourage, celebrate and support the covenant these two people Jordan Athena Johnson and Bethany Catherine Dorotea Perez, beloved to us, now make and to share in the joy that Jordan and Bethany are feeling as they pledge their love and commitment to each other. We rejoice and celebrate in the ways life has led them to each other and got them to the place where they now stand.

"True marriage is more than joining the bonds of marriage of two persons; it is the union of two hearts. It lives on the love you give each other and never grows old, but thrives on the joy of each new day. Marriage is love. May you always be able to talk things over, to confide in each other, to laugh with each other, to enjoy life together, and to share moments of quiet and peace, when the day is done. May you be blessed with a lifetime of happiness and a home of warmth and understanding."

I can't stop looking at Beth. She's just so beautiful. I think the minister is about to say something to me because he's looking at me.

"Jordan, will you take Bethany to be your wife?" he asks me." Will you love her, comfort her, honor and protect her and forsaking all others to be faithful to her until death do you apart?"

I look at Beth and grin. "I do," I say.

Beth breathes out a sigh of relief. Did she really think I wasn't going to say "I do"? I wouldn't be at this altar if I wasn't going to say it. The minister turns to Beth.

"Bethany, will you take Jordan, to be your wife? Will you love her, comfort her, honor and protect her and forsaking all others to be faithful to him/her until death do you apart?"

"I do," Beth says.

I exhale a breath I didn't even know I was holding in. Beth giggles and squeezes my hand.

"We will now do the passing of the thirteen arras," the minister announce.

Mrs. Perez gets up from her seat and gives the minister thirteen gold coins. The minister holds up the gold coins a little bit into the air.

"The symbolism of the 13 gold coins in this ceremony is that Bethany recognizes her responsibility as a provider, and pledges her ability to support and care for Jordan," the minister tells us. "Acceptance by Jordan means taking that trust and confidence unconditionally with total dedication and prudence. Thirteen gold coins, will now be counted out to Bethany."

The minister begins places the gold coins, one by one into Bethany's hands.

"As I count out the 13 coins and place them in Bethany's hands they also represent different values that the couple desire to share between themselves: love, harmony. cooperation, commitment, peace, happiness, trust, respect, caring, wisdom, joy, wholeness and nurturing," the minister says while placing the coins into Beth's hand. "May these coins be a symbol of this couple's mutual love, fidelity and trust." The minister turns his head to Beth. "Bethany, please repeat after me."

The minister says a mini speech and Beth's nods his head after he's done. She turns her head and looks at me with a smile on her face.

"I, Bethany, give you Jordan, these 13 coins as a symbol of my unquestionable trust and confidence I place in you as my beloved wife. As we unite our lives today I share all material responsibility with you."

Beth hands me the gold coins one by one. I have all the coins in my hands now. The minister looks at me.

"Jordan, please repeat after me."

The minister gives another mini speech for me today. Alrighty, I got this.

"I Jordan, accept these coins and assure you of my total love and dedication in looking after you, your possessions and my unconditional love," I tell Beth.

The minister nods and gives us a thumbs up.

"In exchanging these coins, Bethany and Jordan are essentially saying, "What's mine is yours and what's yours is mine." I bless these coins knowing that they are also symbolic of the unlimited good the universe has in store for this loving couple. I accept this for Bethany and Jordan, and so it is, Amen."

Everyone says "amen" after the minister. I turn around and put the coins into the tiny chest Alex is holding. I turn back around and take Beth's hands into mine.

"It is now time for the vows," the minister announces. "The couple have written and prepared their own vows. Jordan, you will go first."

The minister turns the microphone in my direction. Ok I can do this.

"Beth," I start. "I remember the exact moment I realized I was in love with you. We were at anti-prom senior year of high school and the DJ started playing K-Ci and JoJo's "_All My Life" _and I remember looking at you and you were glowing. It was like the sun had came out in the middle of the night and was shining directly at you and I knew at that moment that I loved you with all my heart."

My voice just cracked. My eyes are stinging and I know I'm about to cry.

"The day I told you I loved you and you said it back it felt like a hole in my heart, that I didn't even know was there, was finally filled. I never thought I would meet someone so kind, so sweet, someone who would keep me grounded and sane but there you were. Every day that I get to spend with you is another day I thank God for bringing such an amazing woman into my life."

Ok, I'm definitely crying now but it's ok because Beth is crying too. I raise my hand to her face and wipe away a tear.

"I promise to be there, always, to wipe away your tears. I promise you that I will use all the power in my being to make sure there is always a smile on your face. I promise that I will always love you until the day my heart stops beating. I love you with all my heart and I will forever keep loving you."

I don't think there's a dry tear in this whole football field right now. I know I can't see him but I'm pretty sure Jay is crying right now. I look up at the minister, indicating that I'm done. He turns to Beth.

"Bethany, it's now your turn," he tells her. He turns the microphone toward her.

Beth takes a deep breath and exhales. "I probably should have gone first because now I'm crying like a big baby," she says.

Everyone starts laughing. I smile at her and squeeze her hands.

"I remember the day I first saw you," she starts. "It was the second day of grade 11 and I remember walking down the hallway and seeing this girl doing some kind of weird dance and I remember thinking to myself that that girl was crazy. Little did I know I would end up loving the crazy dancing girl."

Everyone starts laughing again.

"I never thought I'd meet the love of my life in high school," she continues. "I never expected my first date with my future soul mate would be at the movies seeing _The Hills Have Eyes 2, _yet it was. When I look at you Jordan I see a confident, sweet, funny, confident woman. Someone I can love and look up to. We have our days where I just want to toss you out of the car but at the end of every day the only thing I can think aboot is kissing you."

That's right people, my kisses are amazing.

"I promise to try to stop you from saying or doing stupid things. I promise to never let you get too crazy. But most of all I promise to love forever until the day the world ends. I give you my heart, my life, my everything. I love you."

We're both smiling and still crying. The minister puts the microphone back in his direction. I see him wipe away a tear.

"Beautiful vows, really beautiful," he says. He clears his throat. "Jordan and Bethany have chosen to incorporate the Lasso ritual into their wedding ceremony today. The Lasso is a wedding ritual in which the couple are bound together with a ceremonial rosary. Lassoing is a declaration of intent, where the bride and groom clearly state that they are marrying of their own free will."

Bethany's grandmother gets up from her seat and presents the lasso to the minister. The lasso is made of white rose petals and is in the form of an "8", the infinity symbol. Beth and I kneel down as Beth's grandmother drapes the lasso over our shoulders.

"Jordan and Beth, as you are bound together now, so too your lives and spirits are joined in a union of everlasting love and trust," the minister says. Above you are the stars and below you is the earth. Like the stars your love should be a constant source of light, and like the earth, a firm foundation from which to grow."

Beth and I stand up but with the lasso still draped around our shoulders.

"And now it is time for the exchange of the rings," the minister announces,

Due to us being lassoed together I just stick my hand out behind me. I see Beth do the same thing as me. I feel Alex place the wedding band in the palm of my hand and she closes my hand for me. I bring my hand back around my body to the front as Beth does the same.

"The wedding ring symbolizes unity, a circle unbroken, without beginning or end," the minister says. "And today Jordan and Bethany exchange these rings as confirmation of their vows to join their lives, to work at all times to create a life that is complete and unbroken, and to love each other without end. May these rings, which you give to each other, be a symbol of your love and fidelity." The minister turns to me. "Jordan, take this ring and place it on Bethany's finger, and state your pledge to her, repeating after me."

I listen to what the minister says. I nod my head, signaling that I got all of it. I begin to slide the matching wedding band onto Beth's finger on top of her ring. Yeah I got the matching wedding band for the ring.

"With this ring I thee wed," I tell Beth as I slide the band onto her finger."I offer you my hand, and my heart as I know they will be safe with you. All that I am I give to you and all that I have I share with you."

Beth has started crying again. The minister turns to her.

"Bethany, take this ring and place it on Jordan's finger, and state your pledge to her, repeating after me."

Once again the minster repeats the mini ring speech. Beth begins sliding the band down my finger.

"With this ring I thee wed," Beth says while sliding the band down my finger."I offer you my hand, and my heart as I know they will be safe with you. All that I am I give to you and all that I have I share with you."

And now my tears have started back up. I look up and Beth a smile at her. She's grinning at me from ear to ear.

"Until now Jordan and Bethany have spent each moment of their lives as separate individuals," the minister says. "But from this day on, and every day after their each moment shall be shared and spent as one. By the power enthroned in me by the government of Ontario and by God, I now pronounce you lawful and long loving wives."

Once again Beth's grandmother comes up to us. We kneel down so she can take the lasso off.

"You may now kiss," the minister tells us.

I start laughing a little bit because I'm so happy. Beth puts her hands around my neck and bring me closer to her. We share our first kiss as a married couple. Wow, this is a really good kiss. I place my hands on Beth's hips and pull her closer. I can hear everyone clapping but the only thing that matters right now is this kiss. I feel Alex tapping me on my shoulder and I'm guessing that the kiss has lasted long enough.

I reluctantly pull away from Beth. We both have goofy grins on our faces. I take her hand in mine and we turn around to look at our guests.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," the minister starts. "I present to you Mrs. Jordan Johnson-Perez and Mrs. Bethany Perez-Johnson."

The whole football field erupts into noise. There's clapping, hollering, and whistling. Yeah, Beth and I decided to both take each others' last names. It only made sense. Beth's grandmother hand her the lasso back. We begin walking down the aisle as everyone continues to clap and some people are even throwing rice. I knew throwing rice was a bad idea, it's going to be all up in my hair now.

Beth and I walk to the 50 yard line of the football field. I wrap my arms around her waist as she wraps her arms around my neck.

"Congratulations Mrs. Perez-Johnson," I say.

"Felicidades Señora Johnson-Perez," Beth says.

I smile at Beth and pull her closer to me. Mm, married kisses are so much better than non-married kisses. I'm married. HELL YEAH!

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**A/N: so I figured y'all would want visual images of the dresses used in the wedding. Well fanfic won't allow me to directly copy and paste links so for the links i have up here I had to put some spaces in the address so I could actually have them. Also are the links for the rings. Have fun!**

**Jordans: www. helenebridal . com / Wedding - Dresses / WD4717 /**

**Beth's dress: type in 'blue wedding dress' into google and go to the fifth picture of the woman in the big fancy blue dress and that's Beth's dress. umm... yeah**

**Jordan's bridesmaids: www. alfredangeloca . com / Collections / ProductDisplay . aspx ? productID = b7473058-3809-4793-8cad-eb1a3be87b52&categoryID=053f22f3-72d9-4a6d-af34-392c45fe8c96&pg=1&colorId1=6fa35001-2785-456e-abcd-1daf9d908f98**

**Beth's bridesmaids: same dress as Jordan's bridesmaids except Beth's is like a pool blue.**

**Beth's ring and band: This is what Jordan gave to Beth, www. kay . com / webapp / wcs / stores / servlet /product1%7C10101%7C10001%7C-1%7C950027300%7C15051%7C15051.15057**

**Jordan's ring and band: This is what Beth gave to Jordan, www. goldenmine . com / p / Engagement - Ring - Sets / Striped - Textured - 14K - Two - Tone - Gold - Diamond - Wedding - Ring -Set / 99035 . html **

**If you have any questions about the wedding then feel free to message me. Next chapter is the reception and some Palex action! Woo!**


	53. Didn't We Already Have Foreshadowing?

**A/N: Aw, I didn't make my four updates for Dec. 27th =( It's because of all that damn research I had to do for the wedding and reception. Eh, whatever.**

**-Updated 12/28 3:40 am EST**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi or its characters but I do own some clothes in a laundry basket that I need to fold =)  


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**Ladies and gentlemen I, Jordan Johnson-Perez, am a married woman. Yeah that's right I'm married. Beth and I are married! I just can't stop saying it.

"We're married."

Beth laughs. "Yeah I know," she says. "I believe I was there for the part where we exchanged rings."

"Were you there for the exchanging of vows part as well?" I ask playing along.

Beth looks like she's thinking. "I think so. I'm pretty sure I was there." Beth walks over to me and kisses me. "Your vows were beautiful. They really meant a lot to me."

"And I meant every single word," I tell her. "I also liked your vows. Usually I'm the funny one but today you showed your true funny side."

Beth is smiling triumphantly. "I know I'm very proud of myself."

I wrap my arms around Beth and pull her closer to me.

"Can we just skip the reception?" I ask. "Go straight to the hotel room?" I wiggle my eyebrows.

Beth is laughing and shaking her head. "We can't skip our own wedding reception," she says.

"If I'm not mistaken in Venezuela it is traditional for the newlyweds to sneak away from their own wedding reception. Apparently is brings good luck to the marriage."

"We have to attend the reception first to sneak away." Beth gently pushes me away. "But nice try."

I groan. "I just want to take my **wife **to a nice hotel and make love to her."

Beth smiles at me."Say it again."

I smile. "My wife."

"I like the sound of that. And as much as I love the sound of you taking me to a hotel and having your way with me I think you're just nervous to show off your dancing skills."

"I'm going to look like an idiot trying to do that dance," I tell her seriously.

"No you're not."

"Yeah ok, we'll see."

I'm changing out of my dress into a more comfortable outfit. Now I know what you're thinking, and no I'm not wearing a tuxedo. I'm wearing a really nice white pant suit. It's actually quite elegant and classy and the shirt I'm wearing is the same color blue as Beth's dress. We already took pictures with bridal parties before I took my dress off so it's all good.

Beth is looking at me now that I have my second outfit on.

"You look nice," she says.

"But…" Because I know there was one.

"But I'll admit that it was nice seeing you in a dress," she confesses.

"One day I will wear a dress again. Just for you. Now come on, party is about to start."

We have the reception set up in a huge tent on the opposite end of where we had the ceremony. In the tent is a huge dance floor because let's be real, you can't do an adequate electric slide on grass. I take Beth's hand in mine and we exit our tent and make our way to the reception tent. I can already hear the music pumping loudly.

Beth and I reach the reception tent and everyone in our bridal parties and our parents are outside waiting.

"There you are!" Alex says, sounding relieved.

"I had to change," I tell her.

"I thought you two crazy kids snuck off to start the honey moon early," Cindy says while winking.

I have no idea what is wrong with this girl. I'm going to need to find some duct tape and tape her mouth shut.

"Well we're here now," Beth says.

Brian pulls out a walkie-talkie from his back pocket. Is anyone else thrown off that a grown man has a walkie-talkie in his tux pocket?

"Incredible, we're ready," he says into the walkie.

"Copy that," DJ Incredible responds. "Starting introductions now."

Different music starts playing as DJ Incredible starts introducing people. As he says each person's name they enter the tent. DJ Incredible calls out Paige and Alex's names and they enter th tent.

"We can still sneak off," I tell Beth.

"Aren't you looking forward to the cake?" she asks me.

"I'd rather eat something else. If ya know what I mean." I wink at her.

Beth laughs and shakes her head. "Unfortunately I know exactly what you meant."

"And now for the couple you've all been waiting for!" Incredible announces. "Give it up for Mrs. Jordan Johnson-Perez and Mrs. Bethany Perez-Johnson!"

Beth and I walk into the tent hand and hand. All the guests are standing up and clapping for us. Beth and I walk to the head table and take our seats at the very center. Brian and Mr. Perez are standing in front of the table with microphones in their hands. The applauding starts to fade.

"Thank you everyone for coming out today!" Brian says.

"Yes, gracias!" Mr. Perez says. "It means a lot to my family and I that you could all come out today to celebrate this wonderful day."

"Yes, this is a wonderful day indeed. When I first met Bethany I asked myself "Who is this girl that's trying to steal my baby girl away from me?""

"And when I met Jordan I thought to myself "This girl is really nice, for an American.""

The crowd starts laughing.

"But in all seriousness I'm happy my mija found someone who loves her and makes her happy," Mr. Perez says.

"Today is a wonderful day for the Johnson and Perez families because today our daughters joined together and now we are one big family!"

Mr. Perez throws an arm around Brian and Brian does the same to him.

"Enjoy the food everyone and have fun!" Mr. Perez says.

Everyone starts clapping, not because that speech was good but because we're all very hungry. Time to eat!

**Cake Time!:**

It's time to cut the cake. Beth, our guests, and I are heading over to the cake table. Beth and I decided to not go with the traditional fruit cake because I told her that that just sounded disgusting. So instead we decided to go with a classic cake, but with a twist. Beth and I decided to go with a four-tiered vanilla cake topped with off-white fondant. We of course added our own creativity to it. On the bottom tier of the cake there are tiny Venezuelan flags frosted around the whole bottom. On the next tier up there are tiny Mexican flags frosted. On the third tier there are tiny Irish flags frosted, of course. Now when it came to the cake I also wanted to show some of my heritage and individuality. So around the top tier of the cake are little black power fists. That's right! I got black power represented on our cake! Topping off the cake of course are two bride cake toppers, both holding really tiny rainbow flags. I figures since technically this is a gay wedding there should be some gay pride somewhere.

Brian hands the cake cutting knife to me.

"Be careful," he warns me.

"Dad I'm a married woman now," I tell him. "I'm pretty sure I know how to handle a knife."

Ahhh! I just cut off my finger! Ahh! Ha ha, naw I'm just kidding. Beth places her hands over mine. We look up and pose for a couple of pictures. Alright the photographer has enough pictures now. Beth and I push the knife into the cake and make the first cut. Everyone starts clapping. Beth and I cut the first piece out and put in on a plate. We cut a second piece and put that on a plate.

Beth grabs her plate and I grab mine. I pick up my piece of cake and Beth does the same.

"You ready?" she asks.

I nod my head. "Yep."

"Alright, on the count of three. One, two…"

Oh no she did not! I thought we were waiting for three? Everyone is laughing. Beth just totally shoved her piece of cake into my face. Now I have cake all over my mouth. Beth is laughing her ass off right now.

"Not cool," I tell her.

"Aw I'm sorry," she says while still laughing. "Come here."

Beth pulls me in for a kiss. We pull away from the kiss and now Beth has cake chunks all over her mouth.

"Cake!" I hear Major yell.

I turn my head quickly. "Major no!"

Too late! Major just grabbed a fistful of cake.

"Alright everyone!" I yell. "That side of the cake is Major's!"

Everyone starts laughing and Major is just stuffing his face with cake. Well at least we know **he **likes it.

**Toast Time:**

_ Clink! Clink!_

Alex is standing up tapping her knife again her glass. Alex has her glass in the air and a microphone in her other hand. I guess it's time for her toast.

"I'd like to make a toast," Alex says.

Everyone stops eating and focuses on Alex.

"Usually this is the time when the best man makes the speech but seeing as there's no best man you folks get to listen to me."

Everyone laughs.

"When Jordan asked me to be her maid of honor I instantly said yes. I mean, how could I say no? Jordan is not only my sister but my best friend. Her family took me in when I had no family of my own and allowed me to become a part of theirs.

"When I agreed to be Jordan's maid of honor she told me there was one rule, I was not allowed to say anything that would embarrass her. Well you think Jordan would know better than to say that because when you tell me not to do something I'm going to do it."

Uh-oh, I have a weird feeling about this.

"When I first met Jordan, like Beth, I thought she was crazy. I ended up being 100% correct."

Once again everyone starts laughing.

"Jordan is probably the most insane person I've ever met and I don't know how Beth is going to put up with that for the rest of their live."

There's more laughter. Well I'm glad everyone thinks I'm apparently crazy.

"But in all seriousness though Jordan and Beth have the kind of love people write movies aboot. They found each other at a younge age, thanks to me."

Wow even at my wedding she feels the need to take credit for something.

"They had to face many challenges and obstacle but they faced them head on and came out stronger than ever. Jordan and Beth are the best people I know. They're sweet, kind, and they care aboot their family and friends. Their love is a kind of love that some people spend their whole lives searching for. A love that is sometimes right in front of your face."

Wait, Alex was looking at Sage, I think, but I think I just saw her glance at Paige. I look at Paige and Paige's entire focus is on Alex right now.

"Beth keeps Jordan grounded and slightly sane which I think we can all be thankful for because let's face it, when someone isn't watching her Jordan can get a bit out of control."

Alex looks down and smiles at me.

"The point I'm trying to make is that although Jordan is crazy and totally insane I'm glad she found someone who can control her insanity, somewhat. To Jordan and Beth, may their love be the one that goes into the history books."

Everyone raises their glasses into the air. "To Jordan and Beth," everyone says at the same time. Everyone takes a sip of whatever they're drinking.

_Clink! Clink!_

Oh boy, another one? This time it's Paige tapping her knife against her glass. She doesn't have to tap that long since Alex just got done with her speech. Paige places her knife down and picks up the microphone.

"Hi, I'm Paige," she introduces herself.

Yeah because everyone doesn't know who she is by now although she's had countless number of fashion shows in Toronto and she's been on E! a lot.

"I'm Beth's maid of honor," she says and smiles down at Beth. "I've known the happy couple for a long time now. I'm actually the one who helped bring them together."

Oh my God. I roll my eyes. Her and Alex are both ridiculous.

"I've actually known Beth since middle school but we really didn't become friends still high school. Beth is an amazing person. She's funny, smart, nice, and the most amazing friend I've ever had. I can't imagine anyone being on the same level of awesomeness as Beth except for Jordan."

Paige looks at me and smiles. I smile back at her. Ok I'll forgive her for saying she brought me and Beth together, but only because she used the word awesomeness to describe me.

"Jordan and Beth show us what true love is," Paige continues. "It's aboot always being there for that person. It's aboot never giving up in what you believe in because if you give up then what's the point of going on?"

Ok I swore Paige just glanced at Alex and Alex is looking back at her. I'm confused now. Is this speech still about me and Beth or is it now about Paige and undying love for Alex? Paige slightly shakes her head.

Paige raises her glass. "To Jordan and Beth," she says. "Here's to them and their love that could all teach us a lesson."

"To Jordan and Beth!" everyone else repeats after Paige. Some of them sounded a bit unsure though. Yeah that speech started out about me and Beth but somewhere along the way it turned into something else.

I have DJ Incredible hand me the microphone.

"Thanks Alex and Paige for those… wonderful speeches," I say into the microphone. I take Beth's hand in mine and she stands up. "I'd just like to thank everyone on the behalf of Beth and me for coming out today. Now one of the traditions in Ireland is for the couple to make a donation to a charity. Well Beth and I have decided to donate all the money we receive tonight to METRAC, the Metropolitan Action Committee on Violence Against Women and Children."

Everyone is clapping and applauded.

"Thank you for making this possibly," Beth says.

I look at Alex and we lock eyes. We nod our heads and share small smiles, knowing what this means to both of us.

**Dance Time!**

"And it is now time for the newlyweds to join each other on the dance floor for their first dance as wives," Incredible announces.

Beth and I walk to the middle of the dance floor. I take Beth left hand into my right hand and place my left hand on her waist as she places her right hand on my shoulder.

"You can do this," she says, reassuringly.

I nod my head. "I can do this," I repeat.

The music starts and it's a slow piano song. Beth and I are waltzing. I spin Beth and now she's about five feet away from me. All of the sudden the slow music is interrupted by the sound of trumpets and a classical guitar. We begin the Paso Doble.

**After the Paso Doble:**

Oh my God. I did it, I actually did it and I didn't fall. Everyone is standing up and dancing. Beth and I bow. Alex walks over to me and hands me a microphone.

"Whew!" I yell into the microphone. "I think I just did enough exercise for a year."

Everyone laughs.

"So as most of you know by now Beth comes from a very blended background," I announce. "We have celebrated many of her cultural traditions throughout the wedding but now it's my term. Now as an African American I don't really have that many traditions when it comes to weddings but there is one thing that is done at every African America/Canadian party. So I'm asking my side of the family to come on the dance floor to help me celebrate this tradition."

Marcia Griffith's "_Electric Boogie" _starts playing and I swear to God every single black person in here just started clapping and hollering. Before I know it my whole family is on the dance floor, including Major, doing the electric slide. That's right baby, it's electric!

**Time to Toss Things!**

The reception is starting to wind down. People are started to get tired, including myself.

"Alright ladies it's time to toss the bouquet!" DJ Incredible announces.

Ok like fifty girls and women just rushed to the floor. That scene was scary yet amazing. Beth and I are both standing in front of the DJ booth.

"Alright, Bethany is going to toss her bouquet first," Incredible announces. "If you want it you better fight for it. One…two…three!"

Beth throws her arms up into the air and tosses the bouquet back. Wow that thing is really flying! I see an arm stretch out into the air and catch the bouquet. You can hear the disappointment from the ladies that didn't catch it. The girls move so everyone can see who caught the bouquet. Oh my God, Sage caught the bouquet!

I look over at Alex and she looks as pale as a ghost. I can't help but start laughing.

"It's ok ladies because we have another bouquet to throw," Incredible tells the girls. "Jordan, it's your turn. On the count of three, one…two…three!"

I throw the bouquet over my head with all the power I have in my arms. I turn around and see that bad boy flying in the air. It lands somewhere and once again you hear disappointment from the girls and women who didn't catch it. Once again it's like the red sea parting so we can see who caught the bouquet. Well I'll be damned, Paige caught the bouquet. She looks just as surprised as I am. She looks over at Sage, holds up the bouquet and smirks at her triumphantly. Ok, I didn't know there was a competition going on between them but I shouldn't be that surprised.

Juliana pulls a chair to the center of the dance floor and Beth sits in it. That's right we're doing a garter toss.

"Alright fellas!" Incredible yells into the microphone. "Just because there ain't no groom doesn't mean there isn't going to be a garter toss. So gather around guys, as Jordan tosses the garter."

I'm going to be honest with you, the only reason why I'm doing this is because I wanted to be able to stick my hand up Beth's dress in public without getting frowned at. I step in front of Beth. DJ Incredible starts playing Tone Loc's "_Wild Thing" _and everyone starts laughing. I start dancing in front of Beth and she's just laughing at me.

I kneel down on the ground and move my hand up her dress. You know this is actually harder than it looks because there is a lot of pouf under here. Found it! I slowly start sliding the garter off her leg. Once the garter is off I stand up and twirl it around my finger.

All my single guy friends are waiting for me to toss it.

"Alright Jordan, on the count of three," Incredible tells me. "One… two… three."

I chuck the garter as far as into the air as I can. I turn around and it's still flying. It clearly goes over the heads of all the guys. Oo! It landed somewhere. The guys move so I can see where it landed.

Oh my God! Too funny! The garter landed right on top of Alex's head. Alex looks at me and she looks slightly pissed but I don't even care because this is just too funny.

"Congratulations to Alex who just caught the garter!" Incredible announces.

Wait a minute. Paige and Sage both caught the bouquets and Alex "caught" the garter. Paige and Sage are both looking at Alex and Alex looks like she just shit her pants. But this doesn't mean anything right? Right?  


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**A/N: Ok before I get any messages or reviews about this I know I skipped some parts of the reception like the father daughter dance. I spent so much time and detail on the actually ceremony that I didn't want to do the same for the reception. Plus I'd figured y'all be happier if I got to the Palex goodness quicker anyway. So I have 16 chapters I need to finish before the clock strikes 12 on January 1st. Can I do it? We will see!**


	54. While Sage is Away Palex Will Play

**A/N: Question, do y'all actually read the names of my chapters? Because I really try to make them funny and clever sometimes, like with this one. =)**

**-Technically, second update of Dec. 28. posted at 11:22 am EST**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi or its characters but I do own about 3,361 songs on my ipod. Well I "own" most of them =)  
**

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To anyone who's never been on a honeymoon I suggest you go on one and I HIGHLY recommend Maui, Hawaii. If you're not married then go on vacation with your significant other. If you're completely single, well then I'm shedding an invisible tear for you. No really, I am.

Beth and I just got back from our honeymoon in Maui and it was AMAZING! I learned how to surf, Beth took part in hula dancing at one of the luaus we attended, and during the entire week we had amazing mind blowing sex. I thought there wasn't anything better than engagement sex but I was wrong! Honeymoon sex is WAY better!

Beth and I are on our way to the condo right now. I'm holding her hand and I can't stop smiling at her and the same goes for her. I have no idea what condition we're going to find the condo in since Alex had it to herself for a whole week. For all we know she could have thrown a huge party each and every day. It is Alex after all. What I do know is that Alex and Sage got into another argument again sometime during the week. The only reason why I know this is because Paige called Beth and told her about it and then Beth told me about it, of course.

The taxi pulls up to the condo and the driver helps us get our stuff out of the trunk. I pay the driver and Beth and I walk to the front door.

"I'm slightly afraid to go in," I confess to Beth.

"Why," she asks with a questioning look on her face. "This isn't the first time Alex has been by herself. Besides she's not a teenager anymore. I'm sure the place is fine."

I put my key into the lock and take a deep breath. I open the door. Alright so far everything looks the same. Nothing seems out of place.

"See, I told you everything would be ok," Beth says.

"Yeah, maybe you're right. I was worried over nothing."

I leave our bags in the hallway and go to the kitchen because I am really thirsty right now. I walk into the kitchen. HOLY SHIT! WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED IN HERE!

"Hey do we have any-." Beth stops talking as soon as she enters the kitchen.

It looks like a fucking hurricane blew through here. There's flour all over the floor and counter. I see egg shells all over the counter, a half empty box of baking soda, and a mixing bowl that looked like it once had ingredients in it. Oh this is totally not cool.

"I'm going to kill her," Beth says.

"Not unless I kill her first."

I leave the disaster zone, formerly known as the kitchen, and walk to the living room.

"Lexie, aim for my mouth!" I hear Paige say and she's laughing.

"Well it's not my fault you're moving around so much," Alex says.

I enter the living room. Oh you have got to be kidding me. It looks like a rainbow exploded in here! There are skittles all over the floor! I look up at Paige and Alex. These two idiots are covered in flour, baking soda, and have egg shells in their hair and they're throwing skittles at each other, trying to catch them in their mouths.

"Hon, we should probably clean up before Beth and Jordan get back," Paige tells Alex.

"We still have a couple of hours," Alex says. "Knowing Jordan she probably took Beth to a hotel after their flight landed."

"Actually we decided to come home when we landed," I tell them.

The bags of skittles instantly hit the floor. Alex and Paige slowing turn around and look at me. I have my arms crossed over my chest and I'm tapping my foot. They're both smiling nervously at me.

"Hey…" Alex greets my nervously and waves.

"So what have you two been up to?" I ask.

Paige shrugs her shoulders. "Oh nothing," she says nonchalant. "Little bit of this, little bit of that."

I laugh as if it's no big deal. "Little bit of this, little bit of that?" I ask. "Would the little bit of this be DESTROYING THE KITCHEN!"

"Funny story aboot that actually," Alex starts.

"Alex Nuñez I'm going to kill you!" Beth yells as she walks into the living room.

Beth stops as soon as she sees what I see. Oh wow, she's like really mad.

"What the- ¡Jode bromearme?" Beth yells.

Ok I have no idea what she just said but I know it's not good, especially since she said it in Spanish. And now she's gone off on a yelling tangent. I have no idea what she's saying and by the looks of it neither Paige nor Alex knows what she's saying either.

"¡Debo matar el ustedes dos en este momento!"

"Umm… I don't really know what you're saying," Alex says. "And if I'm going to get yelled at I'd kind of like to know what the person is saying."

"Oh you want to know what I'm saying?" Beth asks. "Explain now! Explain why it looks like a bakery exploded in the kitchen!"

Paige and Alex look at each other and then back at us.

"Well hon, we wanted to make you cookies," Paige says. "As a 'Welcome Home' present."

Alex is nodding her head eagerly, agree with Paige. "And while we were mixing the ingredients together the mixer started acting crazy."

"Crazy!" Paige exclaims.

"Yeah, crazy. And before we knew it there were ingredients flying everywhere! We couldn't stop it!"

"Yeah hon, we couldn't stop it."

What is she now, Alex's parrot? Paige is just repeating whatever Alex says.

"So after this out of control mixer got shit everywhere you'd figured you come in here and play 'See how many skittles I can't catch with my mouth'?" I ask.

"Well see the thing aboot that is-."

I raise my hand up, telling Alex to not even say another word. Beth and I are looking at Paige and Alex like how parents look at their children when they're in trouble. I honestly hope these two don't actually think I believe their bullshit story. They're both pretty bad liars when they know they're in deep trouble.

"Ok so I'm going to tell you what I really think happened," I tell them. "I think the ONLY part of that bullshit story that is true is the part about y'all wanting to make us cookies. Although knowing Alex she probably just randomly wanted cookies so they were probably for her."

"Hey!" Alex yells.

"Callate Alex!" Beth yells.

"So there you two were, getting the ingredients ready to bake some cookies," I continue my story. "Then all of the sudden for some weird ass reason Alex decided to crack an egg in Paige's hair. As revenge Paige grabs a fist full of flour and throws it at Alex. This eventually turns into Hurricane Cookie in the kitchen. Did I get it right?'

Alex raises her hand slowly and carefully. "Actually Paige cracked the egg in my hair first."

I roll my eyes. "Oh my God, I don't care who started it all I want is to be able to see the kitchen again. Now go clean it." I point down the hallway. "Now!"

Alex and Paige begin their walk to the kitchen with their heads hang down low.

"Sorry," Alex says quietly.

"Sorry," Paige says.

I sigh and sit down on the couch. Beth sits down beside me.

"I can't believe they actually did that," I say out loud.

"I can't believe Alex was actually baking," Beth says.

I turn and look at her with my eyebrow raised. I'm talking about the mess and all she says and that she can't believe Alex was actually baking. I'm living with a bunch of crazy people.

**September:**

Married life has been good. I love that when I wake up in the middle of the night Beth and I have our arms wrapped around each other. It's like every day is a brand new day of love. Speaking of love, I don't know if too much love is going on between Alex and Sage but Alex and Paige have been spending a lot of time together lately.

School has started back up for Alex and Beth so while they're at school I'm usually sleeping because I work the 11 pm to 5 am shift at the station on the weekdays and then on Friday nights I work from 11 pm till 6am Saturday morning. Yeah I no longer only work on the weekends, I'm moving on up. Paige has been working on her new line but instead of working on it at home or at her office she works on it here. Hey, I don't mind. Paige cooks for us usually, so before I leave for work there's usually a plate of good food on the table.

I don't exactly know how Alex and Sage are doing. I mean Alex is busy with school and Sage is busy with school and her internship so they don't get to talk that much and when they do get to talk to each other it doesn't sound like very long phone calls. Alex has actually been spending more time with Paige in person than she's been talking to Sage on the phone.

Right now it's Sunday, my day off and I'm watching my _Glee_ DVD with Alex. We're both on the couch watching it while Beth and Paige are in the "office" working on their individual work.

"Oh my God, if I wasn't married," I start. "I'd totally try to get with Santana."

"Why?" Alex asks. "She's a total bitch and she's mean to everyone."

"Yeah but she's a hot bitch," I tell her. "And at least you always know where she's coming from with her comments and opinions."

Alex is shaking her head. "You do know she's 16 right?"

"The character may be 16 but the actress isn't."

"Wow, you are a whole different kind of special."

"I'm not the one that likes the dumb blonde."

"Hey now!" Alex exclaims while pointing at me. "Don't come at Brittany like that. She's not dumb. She's innocent, honest, and just a little bit."

"You just have a thing for blondes."

Alex sighs and nods her head. "Yeah, I do."

We start laughing. We continue watching the episode.

"Speaking of blondes," I start. "How's Sage?"

Alex runs a hand through her hair. "She's good," she answers. "I guess. I mean we've both been really busy with school and everything."

It sounds like Alex is keeping something to herself. I press the pause button on the remote. I turn my body so she can see that I'm giving her my full attention.

"Hey, what's up?" I ask.

Alex sighs. "While you and Beth were together, but apart, did you ever feel like she was distancing herself from you?"

I have to think about this. I mean I did get that feeling at the beginning of freshmen year and then Beth broke up with me. Ok, I probably shouldn't tell Alex that.

"What do you mean by she's distancing herself?" I ask.

Alex shrugs her shoulders. "I don't know," she admits. "I just feel like we're not as close as we use to be. I didn't think this long distance thing was going to be so complicated." Alex leans back on the couch. "I really miss her and I'm pretty sure she misses me too."

"Of course she misses you," I tell her, trying to reassure her. "Sage loves you, you know that. The first few months of long distance are always the hardest. But if you two are truly meant to be together then you'll make it."

"Yeah…" Alex says. She doesn't sound too confident. "I'm going to New York over Thanksgiving weekend."

"I'm going to go ahead and assume you mean Canadian Thanksgiving."

Alex nods her head. "Of course," she says. "It'll be good for us. We'll spend some much needed time together."

"Hey," Paige says and walks into the living room. "Oo are you two watching _Glee_?" she asks excitedly.

"Yep," I tell her. "Care to join us?"

"Of course!" Paige jumps on the couch and sits between me and Alex. "I absolutely adore Rachel Berry."

"Because she reminds you so much of yourself?" Alex asks.

"If by that you mean that Rachel reminds me of my determination and ambition then yes," Paige answers.

"That's not what I meant, but ok."

"Oh shut up Lexie. I'm not the one that only wanted to watch the Brittany scenes while Jordan and Beth were gone."

Alex's eyes widen. "Paigey, you said you wouldn't say anything!"

"Oops," Paige says, but doesn't actually mean it.

"That's it Michalchuk, you're in for it," Alex says threatening.

"Ahh!" Paige screms.

Paige jumps off the couch and starts running. Alex jumps off the couch and chases after her.

"Don't break anything!" I yell at them.

Well the Salex relationship might not be going as strong but I think Alex and Paige are starting to become Palex again.

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**A/N: reviews are love! =)-**

**-Also i use freetranslation . com for all my spanish translations so for those of you who actually speak spanish, I know my spanish is fucked up but I don't speak it so...**


	55. Say Something Before It's Too Late

**A/N: So this is the chapter that's been in my mind for about a year now, which could explain why it didn't take me long to write. I believe this is the moment everyone has been waiting for. enjoy =)**

**- Third update of Dec 28th at 12:48 pm EST**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi or its characters but I proudly own all the drama that happens in this chapter =)  


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**Here's an interesting little fact about me. Christmas is my third favorite holiday but December is probably my least favorite month. No actually scratch that, I hate January more than December. I just don't like winter. I'm not a big fan of being cold which is kind of funny and ironic since I live in Canada, a country known for its coldness and being great at hockey. Oh and let's not forget about maple syrup and moose!

Although I hate the cold I will say one good thing about December, winter break. That's right it's the time of year where college kids go on their winter break, including Beth and Alex, and I for one I'm extremely happy they're on break because now I don't have this big condo to myself. Paige only comes over when Alex is here, go figure.

Speaking of Alex you're probably wondering how Canadian Thanksgiving weekend went for her and Sage. Well to my knowledge it went fine. I mean Alex came back home with a smile on her face, not a grin but a smile. But I did notice that the smile wasn't in her eyes. I decided to let it go and not bother her about it.

Right now Beth and Paige are out Christmas shopping. I have a feeling they're going to come back with 100 bags in their hands. I'm actually on my way home from some Christmas shopping. I love shopping for other people but I try not to go overboard like those two. I pull up to the house. Of course Alex's black mustang is in the parking spot. I park my car on the street. I bet if I had a mustang then I'd get to park my car in the parking space more often.

I walk into the condo and heat instantly hits me. Thank God for the heat in this place because I was definitely freezing before. I go upstairs and put the bags in Beth and my bedroom. I go back downstairs to the living room. Wait why are there suitcases in here? Oh my God, is that a Tiffany's box on the coffee table? I go to the table and pick up the precious box. I open the box and inside is a ring case. This can't be what I think it is. I open up the ring case. Holy! A diamond ring is sitting in the box, sparkling in the sunlight. I think this is an engagement ring.

"What are you doing?"

"Ahh!" I yell and jump. I turn around. Whew, it's on Alex. I place my hand over my heart.

"Oh my Jesus, you just gave me a mini heart attack," I tell her.

"That's probably because I just caught you opening a box that isn't yours," Alex says.

Alex reaches over and takes the ring and box from me. She closes the ring case and places it back in the box.

"Is that what I think it is?" I ask while pointing at the box.

"Well if you think it's an engagement ring then you would be correct."

"Is that your ring?"

Alex raises her eyebrow. "Well seeing as you and Beth are already married I'm going to let you answer that question yourself."

Wait, engagement ring, suitcases. Alex is holing what looks like confirmation papers.

"Are you going to propose to Sage?" I ask.

"Ding ding ding!" Alex shouts. "We have a winner!"

Oh she's so funny. So funny that I forgot to laugh.

"Wait, is Sage moving here or something? I mean a long distance relationship is hard enough but a long distance engagement?"

Alex sighs. Why does she look guilty all of the sudden?

"I'm flying to New York tomorrow to ask Sage to marry me and if she says yes then I'm going to move to New York."

"What!" I shout. "But what about school?"

"I already sent in the transfer papers to transfer to NYU. I'll have to wait a semester but I can just work in the mean time."

"But you love U of T. You love their department. What happened to you fulfilling your dream and Sage fulfilling hers? I thought you were going to wait to see where this relationship goes."

"I have waited and Jordan I'm tired of waiting," Alex says. "I look at you and Beth and I immediately get jealous. 22 and you guys are already happy and married. You're already with the one you love. I want the same thing."

"But haven't you and Sage been a bit distance with each other lately?"

"I know but if I propose we'll become closer again," Alex says. "Sage will see how committed I am to her and how much I love her. This will all work out."

"Alex you can't be serious?" I ask. "Do you really think marriage is going to fix everything?"

"Listen Jordan I know what you're thinking but I've thought aboot this. I just want the same happiness you and Beth have and I know proposing to Sage is the right thing."

"What about Paige?"

Alex's face falls. "What aboot Paige?" she asks.

"Have you told Paige about this? I mean you two are best friends again and no offense but it looks like you've been becoming more than friends."

"Just stop Jordan!" Alex shouts angrily. "I love Sage ok? And I'm going to do this."

I'm slightly shaking my head. "Who are you trying to convince, me or you?"

Alex groans in frustration. "I thought you of all people would be happy for me!"

"Alex I am happy for you! I just think you should think this through!"

"I've thought it through and I'm doing it! My plane leaves tomorrow morning."

Alex leaves the living room and I can hear here stomping up the stairs. I hear her slam her bedroom door shut. I sigh, I don't think I believe in this engagement.

**Later:**

I'm lying in my bed right now staring at the ceiling. I think I do my best thinking when staring at a ceiling. I hear my bedroom door open.

"Hey sweetie," Beth greets me. "What are you thinking aboot this time?"

I sit up and look at Beth. She has a smile on her face and is holding like twenty shopping bags.

"Ok let's say you have a friend," I start.

"How aboot we say I have ten friends?" Beth asks jokingly.

I shake my head. "No this is serious," I tell her seriously.

Beth's smile turns into a serious look. She sits down on the bed next to me and places her hand on my knee.

"Ok, I'm in my serious mode," she tells me.

I take a deep breath and breathe it out. "Ok let's say you have a friend," I start again. "And this friend has two women who love her and it's pretty apparent this friend loves both of them although she won't admit to loving one of them because one of them is her ex."

Beth is nodding her head. "Ok… go on."

"Ok so let's say girl number one and girl number two are in a relationship and it's long distance. They've been having some problems lately but they've been together for a long time and they don't just want to throw this relationship away. So they've been getting a bit distant from each other for a while now and as this is going on girl number one has been getting closer to her ex, girl number three. Let's say you've always had a feeling that girl number one loved girl number three but she's in denial about it or just won't admit it. And you've always had a feeling that girl number one and three are meant for each other but after many failed attempts they've sort of given up on each other and you've given up as well."

"Ok, I think I'm understanding this."

"Ok let's say you come home to find a Tiffany's box on the table with a diamond engagement ring in it."

Beth gasps. "Oh my God."

"Now let's say girl number one tells you she's going to propose to her long distance girlfriend, girl number two, in hopes that it'll make their relationship stronger and girl number one says that if girl number two says yes she's going to be to New York to be with her, giving up her education at her school to wait a full semester to transfer to NYU. Now let's say that in your gut you know this isn't right because you know girl number one has feelings for girl number three still but she's just running away from them. And you KNOW girl number three still loves girl number one. What would you do?"

Beth is looking at me. She seems just as lost as I am right now.

"Now let me get this straight," she says. "Alex is going to propose to Sage and move to New York to be with her because she thinks it'll fix all their problems and you think that Alex is just trying to run away from the feelings she has for Paige and has had for awhile now and I'm guessing Paige has no idea that Alex plans on proposing to Sage. And you think Alex and Paige still have feelings for each other but after all the failed attempts they have just given up on each other but you think they belong together. Did I get everything?"

I'm nodding my head. "Well I KNOW Paige still loves Alex but yeah, that's pretty much it in a nutshell."

"Jordan, I think you know what you have to do and what you're going to do."

I look at Beth. "Is she at home?" I ask.

Beth smiles and nods her head. "She's at home."

I jumped off the bed and grab my coat and keys. I run out the door and jump into my car. I have to do this.

**Paige's Place:**

_Knock knock! Knock knock!_

Come on Paige! Answer the damn door!

"Paige!" I yell and continue knocking on the door. "Paige, answer the door!"

The door opens and Paige is looking at me confused and slightly annoyed.

"Hon, you don't have to knock down my door," she says.

I push past her and walk into her condo.

"Hon, what's wrong?"

I turn around and point my finger at her. "You need to tell Alex how you feel."

Paige looks at me surprised. "What?"

"You need to tell Alex how you feel!" I walk up to Paige and grab her by her shoulders. "I know you may want to hide it, you may want to keep it to yourself but you can't anymore. You need to admit to Alex what you and I have known ever since senior year of high school. You need to tell Alex that you love her."

Paige pushes my hands off her shoulders. "Hon, I don't know what's wrong with you and I have no idea what you're talking aboot." Paige starts walking away from me.

"Alex is going to New York tomorrow and she's going to propose to Sage!" I yell.

Paige stops walking. She slowly turns around and looks at me with surprise and shock written all over her face.

"What?" she half whispers.

"Alex has it in her mind that if she proposes to Sage then that will fix her relationship with her. But I think the real reason Alex is proposing to her is because of how distant she's become from her and how close you two have gotten."

I walk up to Paige. She looks like someone just told her they ran over her puppy, if she had a puppy.

"Paige if you don't tell Alex how you feel TODAY then Alex will go to New York and she won't come back," I say seriously. "She will propose to Sage, she will move to New York and she won't come back. She won't come back for you."

There's silence, nothing but silence. This is the type of silence where you feel like this exact moment could be the moment in your life that could change everything.

"Paige," I call out her name. "Paige…"

"I think you should leave hon," Paige says without even looking at me.

"What? But Paige-"

"Jordan, please go," she says this time pleading.

I sigh and walk to the front door. I reach out and grab the door knob. I turn around and look back at Paige.

"This is your one shot Paige," I tell her. "Don't let it pass you by."

I open the door and leave her condo. I can only hope my words got through to her.

**Later:**

One of the things I hate the most is the silent treatment. I think the silent treatment is one of the dumbest types of punishments a person can give to someone. Well Alex has decided to give me the silent treatment.

Alex and I are sitting on the couch right now watching television but neither one of us is saying anything.

_Knock, knock!_

That better be the pizza I ordered. I ordered it like thirty minutes ago. Woo, free pizza!

"I'll get it," Beth says. Beth goes to the front door. "Oh hey Paige."

Paige? Paige comes walking into the living room. Both Alex and I jump from our seats. Paige's eyes like red and puffy like she's been crying.

"Paige what are you doing here?" Alex asks her.

"Don't propose to Sage," Paige says.

Wow! Alex is looking at Paige surprised and confused.

"What?" Alex asks.

"Don't propose to Sage," Paige repeats.

"Why?"

Paige places her hands on Alex's face and pulls her forward. Oh my Jesus! Paige just kissed Alex! Paige just kissed Alex! I think Alex might be kissing her back. Paige pulls away.

"Because I love you, you idiot!" Paige exclaims.

Wow, total déjà vu. I think I just had a flashback of the Thanksgiving weekend of 2006.

"…" Alex doesn't say anything.

"Alex I love you," Paige says. "I've loved you ever since high school and I never stopped loving you. I know I always had moments of hesitation but I always knew what I truly felt for you. The day I kicked you out was the worst day of my life and the biggest mistake I ever made and I'm sorry. But please don't propose to Sage and move to New York. I love you and I think you love me too. You belong with me Alex, not her."

Alex is just looking at Paige, she's speechless. I look over at Beth, she's smiling. I look at Paige and her eyes are pleading to Alex. Although I can't see myself I'm pretty sure my jaw is still open. Oh my God.  


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**A/N: LE GASP! Paige finally confesses her feelings to Alex and Alex is speechless! What will happen next!**


	56. What If?

**A/N: AHHH! I know you're all DYING to know what happens next!**

**To elevenshoes: The reason why I've been updating so much these past few days is because #1 I'm trying to finish this story before 2011 starts and #2 My area was hit by a giant snow storm and I refuse to go out while the ground is still white.**

**-Fourth update of Dec. 28. posted at 3:31 pm EST  
**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi or its character. I am however about to own a criminal record for killing my brother if he doesn't turn that damn music down.  
**

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Throughout our lives we have to make decisions. What should I have for lunch today, a ham and cheese sandwich or peanut butter and jelly? Should I go ahead and watch this TV show or should I study for my test? Should I go to Warped Tour although last year I got hit in the head with a shoe? Which girl should I chose to be with? That last question is the one Alex is currently faced with.

To give you a recap on everything that just literally happened five minutes ago: Paige came busting in here, told Alex not to propose to Sage, kissed her, and then told Alex that she loves her. Yeah, that's pretty much what happened in a nut shell. What is currently happening right now? Oh, well Paige is still here and so is Alex. But Alex is just looking at Paige, wide-eyed not saying anything. Alex has been in this same position for about two minutes now.

"Lexie, please say something," Paige pleads.

More silence. I don't know if all this silence is a good thing or a bad thing. I know Paige is freaking out.

"Alex, say something, please," Paige pleads again.

Alex shakes her head like she just got out of a trance or something.

"I think…. I think you should go," Alex tells Paige. She sounds unsure.

"What?"

Alex is nodding her head. "Yeah," she says shakily. "I think you should go."

Aw, my heart just broke. A tear runs down Paige's face as she looks at Alex with sad eyes.

"Ok," she says sadly.

Paige is leaving the room with her head hung down low and her shoulders slump. This is like the white version of the Trail of Tears. Beth has her arm around Paige as she walks her to the door. I turn my attention to Alex, who looks completely lost.

"Alex…"

"I'm going to be in my room," she says, without even looking at me.

Alex leaves the living room and goes upstairs. I hear the front door close and Beth walks into the living room. We're just looking at each other, neither one of us knows what to say.

"I… that…" I try talking.

"Yeah…" Beth says.

"What am I suppose to do?"

Beth shrugs her shoulders. "I think you did all that could be done. It's up to them now."

I nod my head. I stretch out hand to Beth. Beth takes my hand and hers and we go upstairs to our bedroom. I guess all we can do now is wait.

**Hours Later:**

Hhhhaaaauuuwwwnnn. Wow, that had to be the most epic yawn of mankind. I try to maneuver my body from Beth's arms. I stretch out my arms and my body and yawn again. I look at the clock and it reads one in the morning. Oo I LOVE waking up at one in the morning, NOT!

I slowly and carefully get out of the bed, not wanting to wake up Beth. I leave our room and creep down the hallway to Alex's room. Hey, her light is still on. I crack open the door. Alex is sitting on her bed and she looks totally spaced out. I open the door wider. Whoa, there are crumpled up sheets of papers everywhere on the floor. I pick up one of the sheets of paper and unfold it. Oh, she made a pros and cons list for both Paige and Sage. I don't have to pick up the rest to know they all say the same thing.

I look at Alex. She has winkles on her forehead and heavy bags under her eyes. I sit down on her bed next to her.

"How long have you been doing this?" I ask, pointing at the papers.

"What time is it?" she asks me, without even looking at me.

"One in the morning."

Alex sighs. "Aboot six hours."

"And have you made a decision?"

Alex turns her head and looks at me. "I don't know who to choose."

I place my arm around her shoulder. "Yes you do," I tell her. I point to her heart. "At least this part of you knows."

"What if I make a mistake?" she asks. "What if I pick the wrong person? What if I spend the rest of my life asking myself 'What if?'?"

I sigh and stand up. I'm standing in front of Alex and she looks up at me.

"Life is full of what ifs," I tell her. "No matter what decision we make in life we're always going to ask ourselves 'What if I had made the other decision?'"

"I don't want to spend the rest of my life thinking aboot that."

"There are two different kinds of 'what ifs'," I tell her while holding up two fingers. "There's the guilty 'what if' and then there's the 'what if' that one only thinks about once in a blue moon."

Alex is giving me a questioning look. "Ok I know it's late at night but I have no idea what that means."

"Alright take me and Beth for example," I start. "I always think about the 'what ifs' with us. What if she doesn't like the pancakes I make this morning? What if she decides she doesn't want to be a vet anymore? What if she decides to throw a shoe at me instead of a pillow the next time I say something stupid?"

Alex is shaking her head. "Jordan, those are not the same what ifs that I'm worrying aboot right now."

I kneel down in front of Alex. "Every now and then I ask myself , what if I hadn't gotten off my ass that day, went to Beth's house, and confess my undying love for her? What if she hadn't taken me back? Those are the 'what ifs' I'm talking about. Those are the 'what ifs' I **rarely **think about because I'm proud of the decision I made."

Alex is looking at me. She still looks lost.

"I'm still a bit lost with this whole thing," she admits.

I sigh and hang my head down. I pick my head back up and look at her.

"For the rest of your life you are going to have a 'what if' in the back of your mind," I tell her. "The question is which 'what if' are you **rarely **going to think about? What if you chose Paige or what if you chose Sage?"

Alex is nodding her head. I start nodding my head.

"You get what I'm saying now?" I ask.

Alex is nodding her head. "I think so," she says. "If I pick Sage am I going to think aboot what if I picked Paige for the rest of my life or if I pick Paige am I going to think aboot what if I picked Sage?"

By golly I think she's got it! I clap my hands.

"Exactly!" I exclaim. "Which one are you going to think about once in a blue moon? Choose the girl that's going to **rarely **make you ask yourself, 'What if?'."

Alex is nodding her head. "Ok," she says.

I stand up and start making my way to her door. I reach the doorway and turn around and look at Alex.

"And Alex," I start. "Don't think with this," I point to my head. "Think with this," I point to my heart.

"Always," she says.

I close her bedroom door and make my way back to my bedroom. I get in the bed and wrap my arms around Beth. A thought that rarely crosses my mind is: what if I hadn't met this beautiful amazing woman? Where would I be now?

**Later:**

Ugh! I do not enjoy my stomach waking me up at five in the morning. I make me way downstairs. I hope we have some cereal in the cupboard. Hell I hope we have some milk! Why is the hallway light on? I walk down the rest of the stairs. Whoa. Alex is standing there in jeans and a coat gathering her bags together. The front door is open and I can see a taxi outside. Alex looks at me with an apologetic look.

"I didn't wake you did I?" she asks.

I'm shaking my head. "No," I answer. "My stomach did. What are you doing?"

"The taxi is here. My flight leaves at 7:30 and you know how long security can take."

I nod my head. "So you're going to New York?"

"Yeah I'm going to New York."

"So you made your decision then? Was it a hard?"

Alex is shaking her head. "After your little speech it was a very easy decision."

_Honk! Honk!_

Alex turns her head. "I have to go, taxi's waiting," she says. "I'll see you later."

I nod my head. "Yeah, ok."

Alex and I share a hug.

"I love you," I tell her.

Alex smiles. "I love you too. And thanks for everything."

"Of course, that's what sisters are for."

Alex picks up her suitcase and makes her way to the door. She waves and leaves the condo. Well I guess she made her decision. I just hope it was the right one.

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**A/N: So I have decided that with the next update I might not post until I get TWO reviews on this chapter. I'll type the chapter and upload it and everything but I'm not going to post it unless I have two reviews for this chapter =)**

**Reviews are love darlings!**


	57. Phone Call

**A/N: Thank you EVERYONE for the reviews on the last chapter. I asked for two and got four. Maybe I should threaten not post anymore updates until i get a certain amount of reviews more often. lol**

**XxkoeyxX: Thank you for that. It really means a lot to me that you said that. I've been watching a lot of season 5 and 6 episodes of Degrassi to make sure I stay true to the characters of Alex and Paige.**

**Scrabbles: Heeeeyyy! Haven't heard from you in awhile. I'm glad I have you guess on your toes =)**

**-Fifth update of Dec. 28 at 6:35 pm EST**

**Disclaimer: I FINALLY own Glee: The Complete First Season on DVD. I do not own Degrassi or its characters thou. That's ok because I have Glee! *GLEE*  
**

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There comes a point in time where you just have to let go. You have to let the person go and be free, in hopes that they make the right decisions for themselves. Once you let them go you have to let them make their own decisions and support them no matter what. But what happens when you believe that person has made a bad decision? What do you do?

I'm in the kitchen right now drinking some tea that Beth prepared for me. Alex left only twenty minutes ago and part of me wanted to run after her and tell her that she did not make the right decision. Part of me still wants to run after her, I think I could make it to the airport in time. But I know that in my heart her decision is the right one, for her.

"You can't force someone to love someone else," Beth tells me.

I sigh. "I know it's just… I thought she was going to choose Paige."

"You told her to choose with her heart and that's what she did."

"Yeah…"

_Knock knock!_

I look at Beth with a questioning look on my face. She's looking at me with the same expression. Who would be knocking on our door at 5:30 in the morning?

_Knock knock! Knock knock knock!_

The knocking has turned frantic. Beth and I jumped out of our seats and run to the door. Beth reached the door first and without even looking, she yanks open the door. A person rushes past us.

"Alex!" Paige is yelling. "Alex!"

Ok, well Paige completely just pushed us out of the way. She's really strong when she's in a rush. Beth closes the front door. She's looking at me with the same sad look I have on my face.

"Alex!" Paige yells again. "Lexie I want to talk to you!"

"Paige," I call out her name.

"Alex!"

"Paige!" I yell her name.

Paige looks at me. "Where's Alex?" she asks, with defeat in her voice. She already knows the answer.

"Alex left about twenty minutes ago," I tell her.

"Well then I can still catch her!"

Paige rushes to the door but I step in her path. Paige is trying to push through me.

"Let me go Jordan!" she yells. "Let me go!" Paige starts hitting me.

"Paige she's gone," I tell her.

"No! She can't be gone! I love her! I told her I loved her!"

Paige is still hitting me, trying to get to the door. I grab her shoulders and hold her still. Paige stops moving frantically and looks at me. The sight before me is breaking my heart. Paige's eyes are puffy, swollen and red. She looks like she hasn't slept in hours and tears are falling down her face.

"I'm sorry Paige," I say sincerely. "Alex went to New York."

Paige breaks down. She slowly falls to the floor but I fall with her. She's in my arms now crying.

"But I told her I love her," she cries.

"I know I know," I say while patting her back.

"I love her."

I have my arms wrapped around Paige. I'm whispering to her that everything is going to be ok. I signal to Beth to get a blanket out of the hall closet. Beth gets the hint and walks down the hall. She brings back a blanket and drapes it over me and Paige.

"Shh, it's ok," I whisper to Paige. "It's ok."

Paige continues crying into my shoulder. I look up at Beth and I see her eyes shining. I know Beth and about to cry and I am too as I hold a girl who just had her heart broken.

**Later:  
**How do you cure a broken heart? People have been trying to answer that question for centuries. The answer: only time can heal a broken heart. That and for the delusional people, alcohol also helps.

Beth and I finally got Paige to stop crying, well to cry less. I had to change my shirt because she soaked it with her tears, no lie. Paige and I are sitting down on the couch right now watching Global Weather. I figured the news would be a little too much for her right now. Beth is in the kitchen right now cooking Venezuelan Chicken Soup. I asked her what the difference was between that and regular chicken soup. She said Venezuelan Chicken Soup has a richer taste.

"Our top story tonight," the reporter says. "East Coast prepares for a big snow storm. Already the northern states are experiencing snow. Earlier this year the whole eastern seaboard was hit with what we now call Snowpocalypse. Although this snow storm isn't predicted to be the same magnitude as Snowpocalypse people are taking precautions."

I hear Paige's breath hitch. I rub her shoulders.

"Hey reporters always make things seem bigger than they are," I tell her.

Beth is walking into the living room with a steaming bowl of soup. I could see the steam from about twenty feet away. I place one of our TV tray stands in front of Paige and Beth places the bowl down in front of her.

"Venezuelan Chicken Soup," Beth says proudly. "I used my abuela's recipe."

Alright something is buzzing in my pocket. I pull my cell phone out. Alex's name is flashing across the screen. I look at Beth and Paige.

"Barry from work," I tell them while pointing at my cell phone, making sure Paige can't see the name of the real caller. "Probably wants to ask me some ridiculous question."

I get up from my seat and go into the kitchen. I'm far enough in the kitchen to not be overheard. I flip open my phone.

"Hey."

"Hey," Alex says. "I just called to tell you I landed safely at JFK."

"Alright, thanks for calling. We're watching Global Weather and the reporter just said a snow storm is about to hit the east coast."

"Yeah it's been snowing here for awhile but it's not that bad. And why are you and Beth watching Global Weather? You sound like an **old **married couple now."

"Umm… well actually Paige is here."

"…Paige is there?" Alex says with concern in her voice.

"Yeah she came over about twenty minutes after you left."

"Can I talk to her?"

I sigh. "Alex I don't think that would be a good thing right now. She's not really in the mood to talk to anyone."

"Oh ok," she sounds defeated. "… Well please tell her that I said everything is going to be ok."

"Ok, I'll do that."'

"Hey I gotta go. I finally got a taxi."

"Should you really be out while it's snowing?"

"Jordan there isn't even that much snow on the ground," she says. "Besides New Yorkers know how to drive in the snow, I'll be ok."

"Alright Alex, just be careful please."

"I will don't worry. Love ya."

"Love you too. Call me later! Bye."

"Bye."

I close my phone shut. Nothing worries me more than snow on the roads. I walk out of the kitchen back into the living room. Beth and Paige are now watching Disney Channel. They turn their heads and look at me.

"That was just Barry asking me how to turn the weather update on," I lie. "He's so hopeless sometimes."

"You don't have to lie hon," Paige says. "I know it was Alex."

I sigh. "Yeah, she called to say she got to New York safely. And she wanted me to tell you that everything is going to be ok."

Paige snickers. "Easy for her to say," she says bitterly. "She's not the one who just had her heart ripped out of her chest!"

The crying has begun again. Paige leans into Beth and starts crying on her shoulder. Beth wraps her arms around Paige and is giving me a look telling me I shouldn't have said anything. I throw my hands up.

"What?" I mouth.

Paige continues crying as Beth is patting her back. I better go get Beth a replacement shirt.

**Later:  
**It's nine at night and we finally got Paige to sleep. Paige wanted to go home but Beth and I both knew that Paige being by herself right now was not a good idea. Paige is downstairs sleeping on the couch. We told her she could take the comfortable bed in the room but she refuses to come upstairs. Right now Beth and I are lying in bed together.

"What are we going to do?" I ask.

"I don't know," Beth says. "I've never seen her like this. I mean yeah she was upset after the whole Hollywood disaster but she wasn't THIS upset."

"Well she didn't have her heart broken in L.A. She just lost some of her friends."

"I don't know which one is worst."

Beth and I turn our heads and look at each other.

"Losing friends," we both say at the same time.

I sigh. "Well you know what they say," I start. "Everything looks better in the morning."

"Maybe," Beth says sadly.

I turn off the bedside lamp and put my arms around Beth.

"Te amo," Beth whispers.

"Te amo tambien," I whisper back.

**Middle of the Night:  
**_Zzzzz! Zzzzz! Zzzzz!_

What is that?

_Zzzz! Zzzz!_

Is that my phone vibrating? I slowly open my eyes. I look at my clock. Who the hell is calling me at midnight? Whoever it is, is about to get their ass handed to them. I pick up my phone off my bedside table and look at the caller ID. I don't recognize this number. I flip open my phone.

"Hello?" I say tiredly.

"Hello is this Jordan Johnson?" the other person, who sounds like a female, asks.

"Jordan Johnson-Perez… Yeah, this is Jordan Johnson. Who is this?"

"My name is Nancy Garmin, I'm a nurse at St. Matthews hospital here in Manhattan. I'm calling you about Alex Nuñez."

Holy shit! That sure woke me up. I sit up straight.

"She has you listed as her emergency contact," Nurse Nancy says.

"Yeah, she's my sister. What's wrong with Alex?"

"Well ma'am it seems that Miss Nuñez was involved in a car accident."

Car accident. Car accident. **Car accident.  
**

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**A/N: HUGE CLIFFHANGER! a huge cliff hanger like this one deserves at least five reviews =)**


	58. This Can't Be Happening

**A/N: six updates in one day, must be a record! So I was debating whether or not to post this tonight or keep you guys hanging but I didn't want to do that =) So I would just like to say something about this chapter before you start reading. I did A LOT of research and even with all the research I did I probably have something medical wrong, so I want you guys to keep in mind that this is FANFIC and that this is Momo The Great's world. I try to keep things as accurate and real as possible but when it comes down to it if I want I can put flying pigs in this story. so yeah...**

**-6th update of Dec. 28. posted at 10:20 pm EST**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi or its characters. All I own is the drama and comedy I type up on my computer.  
**

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Everyone has their fears. Brian is afraid that the Celtics might one day overthrow the Lakers. My mom is afraid that Major might grow up to be spoiled, bratty, and just a little crazy. Major is afraid of Big Bird. I mean it's a giant talking bird, he has the right to be afraid of it. Marco is afraid that one day people will stop making fashionable scarves. Ellie is afraid that soon the newspaper industry might end. Craig is afraid no one will buy his next album. Beth is afraid that Chuckie, the scary ass killing puppet, will come kill her one day. I'll admit that Beth's fear is pretty legit. My greatest fear however just came to life.

"Miss Johnson, Miss Johnson," the nurse is calling out my name. "Miss Johnson, are you there."

"I'm here!" I yell. "I'm here! What happened?"

"Miss Nuñez was involved in a car accident and was brought into the E.R."

"What's the name of your hospital?" I ask quickly.

"St. Matthews General Hospital," the nurse answers. "Miss Johnson-"

"Do whatever surgeries are necessary! I don't care if you have to do fifty surgeries just save her! I will be there as soon as possible."

"Ok Miss Johnson. See you soon."

_Click!_

Oh my God this can't be happening! This can't be happening! I quickly jump out of the bed and quickly turn on the room light. I gotta get some clothes. I pull out one of the luggage bags that we have from under the bed. I run to my dresser and starts pulling clothes out and throwing them into the bag.

"Jordan?" I hear a sleepy Beth behind me. "What are you doing?"

I turn around and look at Beth. I probably look like a crazy woman right now.

"Alex… Alex… she was in a car accident!" I yell frantically.

Beth's eyes widen. "What?"

"A nurse at St. Matthews in New York just called and said Alex was in a car accident. I have to go."

Beth jumps out of the bed. "I'll go with you," she says.

I'm shaking my head. "You can't."

"Of course I can! Alex is my friend too Jordan and she's my sister-in-law now!"

I walk over to Beth and gently grab her by the shoulders. "No," I say sternly. "You have to stay here. You have to drive to my parents' house and tell them. You have to stay here."

"We can call them on our way to the airport," Beth says. "Let me come with you."

Beth's eyes are pleading with me but I have to put my foot down.

"No, you have to stay here. You have to go to my parents' house and tell them in person. You have to make sure they stay there with Major and make sure you tell them not to tell Major. You have to be there for my parents because I can't."

I can tell by the look on Beth's face that I've won this fight. Beth sighs and nods her head.

"Ok, I'll stay here but Jordan, please be careful."

"I always am," I tell her.

I kiss Beth and zip up my bag. I ran down the stairs. I need to find my car keys. Where are my car keys!

"Jordan, is that you?"

I turn around and Paige is standing in front of me. I do not have time for this.

"Jordan, what are you doing?"

"Just go back to sleep Paige," I tell her.

"Why are you acting crazy? What's going on?"

"ALEX IS IN THE HOSPITAL!"

Shit. Paige's eyes widen and she gasps.

"What do you mean she's in the hospital?" Paige asks in a scared tone.

"Alex was in a car accident and she's in the hospital. I'm going to New York."

"Jordan how do you plan on getting there? There are no flights going into New York with the weather they're having right now."

"I'll drive then!"

"Jordan it'll take you eight hours to get there! Even more with all the snow and you know your car can't handle the snow."

"It doesn't matter! I have to get there! She's my sister!"

"Let me come with you," Paige says.

I look at her as if she's crazy. "Paige I'm not letting you come with me."

Paige walks over to me and grabs me by my shoulders, violently.

"Yes you are," she says in a very scary tone. "And I'm going to tell you why. One of my friends has his own private jet here in Toronto. It leaves whenever he tells it to. He has a house in Westchester County with his own hanger and runway where he always keeps salt and sand ready to keep it from freezing. I'll call him. Once I tell him the situation he'll let us use the jet. We'll fly to his place and then he'll drive us to Manhattan in his Snow Tracs."

"You know a guy that has all of that stuff?"

Paige nods her head. "The fashion industry is full of interesting people."

I'm shaking my head. "I don't think you coming is a good idea."

"Do you want to get to Manhattan or not?"

I have to admit that I truly think that's the only way I'm going to get there. I sigh indefeat and my head.

"Ok then it's settled, I'm coming with you," Paige says sternly.

"I'll grab my keys, you call your friend," I tell her.

Paige pulls her phone. "Dialing already hon."

I grab my keys and Paige grabs her coat. We get into my car as she calls her friend. Don't worry Alex, I'm on my way.

**Later, in Manhattan:  
**I can't believe we actually made it. We actually made it into Manhattan. Paige's friend let us use his jet, after hearing Paige's explanation and pleads, got to his house jumped into some Snow Tracs and here we are. I can't believe it. Thank you God!

The Snow Trac pulls up in front of St. Matthews General Hospital. Paige and I get out of the truck and run into the hospital. I have to find someone who knows what's going on. I run to the nearest nurse's station.

"Excuse me!" I yell.

The nurse at the desk is on the phone. She holds up her finger to me.

"And I told him that if he ever did it again I'd cut him," the nurse says into the phone.

"Excuse me! I need some help here!"

The nurse looks at me with an annoyed look on her face. She moves the phone away from her face and covers the mouth piece with her hand.

"Ma'am I am currently on the phone with someone but you can sit down right over there and once I'm done I will call you over," she tells me while pointing to a bunch of uncomfortable looking chairs. She brings the phone back to her face. "So like I was saying, girl I told him that if he didn't get his lazy ass-"

That's it! I put my finger on the switch hook, ending the call. The nurse is looking at me shocked.

"Listen I know it's early in the morning and there's snow outside and you probably don't want to be here right now but how about instead of talking to Cookie or Rasheeka or whoever the hell you were talking to, you do your actual job!"

The nurse sucks her teeth. She looks up at me.

"How may I assist you today?" she asks with attitude.

"I'm looking for an Alex Nuñez," I tell her.

The nurse is typing her name into the computer. The nurse looks back at me.

"Alex Nuñez is currently in surgery."

"Well how is she doing? Can I get a doctor out here to fill me in?"

"I'm sorry ma'am but that information is currently limited to family members only."

"I'm her sister!" I yell.

The nurse raises her eyebrow. "Oh really?" she asks.

"She's my adoptive sister," I tell her. "Would you like me to have my parents fax the adoptive papers over to you?"

"That will not be necessary." The nurse picks up the phone and dials a number. "I need Dr. Monroe to come to the nurses' station," she says into the phone. "The patient's **sister** is here. Alright thanks."

The nurse hangs up the phone and now she's just looking at me.

"Thank you," I thank her.

I'm walking away from her. Jeez, what a bitch. I walk over to Paige.

"What did the nurse say?" Paige asks anxiously.

"She called for a Dr. Monroe so hopefully he'll be up here later."

Paige and I sit down in the chairs. Wow I was right, these chairs are uncomfortable. I can't believe I'm in this hospital right now. I bury my face into my hands. I just… I don't know what I'll do if Alex isn't ok. Paige is tapping me on my shoulder.

"Hon, I think that's the doctor," she whispers.

I bring my head up. A white man with red hair and a small red beard wearing blue scrubs is walking toward us. Paige and I stand up quickly.

"Hi, I'm Dr. Monroe," he introduces himself.

"I'm Jordan, Alex's sister," I introduce myself quickly. "Is Alex ok?"

"Well she just got out of surgery and it went well."

"What happened?"

Dr. Monroe sighs. He places his hand on my shoulder and points to the chairs. Paige and I sit down.

"According to the police your sister was involved in a pretty bad accident. She was in a taxi when the light turned red. I don't know the exact details but I'm assuming that because of the ice on the road when the taxi driver suddenly stepped on the brake the taxi skid into the intersection and an oncoming car hit them."

Oh my God! I hear Paige gasping behind me. Paige grabs my arm.

"The car that hit the taxi sent the taxi skidding across the road, hitting a pole. Now luckily for your sister the car did not strike her side of the car but her side did hit the pole. Fortunately it was the back end of that car that hit the pole. She was wearing her seat belt, which most likely saved her. Your sister suffered some damage to her spleen, there was some internal bleeding, she broke her right arm and her leg is fractured. She also hit her head against the window."

Oh my God. This can't be happening, this can't be happening!

"Is she ok?" Paige asks.

"We had to do some surgery on her spleen because of the bleeding and we had to stop the internal bleeding. Her leg and arm are going to be just fine."

"What about her head?" I ask.

"The CT scan showed that Alex might have damaged her cerebral cortex."

"What does that mean?"

"When Alex hit her head against the window she hit it pretty hard. Alex could be in a coma."

"What do you mean COULD be? Is she in a deep coma or a light coma?"

"Unfortunately we don't know at this exact moment. Only time will tell."

"Can we see here?" Paige asks.

"Right now they're bringing her up from the O.R. and we're going to put her in the ICU. In about two hours you can go see her."

"Thank you Dr. Monroe," I thank him.

Dr. Monroe holds out his hand to me. I take his hand and shake it. He pats me on the back reassuringly. Dr. Monroe gets up and walks away. I turn and look at Paige. Paige looks scared shitless.

"Jordan, what if Lexie doesn't wake up?" she asks scared.

"We can't think like that Paige," I tell her. "We have to stay positive." I pull out my cell phone and start dialing a number.

"Are you calling your parents?" Paige asks me.

"No, I'm calling Sage."

Paige's face falls. "Right, you should let her know what's happening."

_Ring, ring._

"Oh thank God you called Jordan," Sage says frantic. "I've been trying to reach Lexie for hours but her phone keeps going straight to voicemail. She was suppose to be here HOURS ago!"

"Sage, I have to tell you something."

"Jordan, I don't like the tone of your voice. What's wrong?"

"Alex was in a car accident," I tell her. I can tell she's stopped breathing. "A car hit Alex while she was in her taxi and-"

"Which hospital is she at?" Sage interrupts me.

"We're here at St. Matthews General Hospital on 100 East 77th Street."

"I'm on my way. I'll be there as soon as I can!"

_Click._

I close my phone and sit back down by Paige. I can only hope that for once God will answer my prayers.

**Later:  
**I've never been one those people that hates hospitals. I actually always kind of liked a hospital. I love the smell of sterilization and I love seeing new mothers leaving the hospitals carrying newborns. But now… I can't believe I'm here. I shouldn't be here. I should be back at home with my wife and Alex should be at Sage's apartment right now on one knee proposing to her. Instead Alex is in a room right now fighting for her life and I'm out here in the hallway just looking on, not being able to do anything.

It's been about three hours now that we've been here. I called my parents and filled them in on everything. I had to convince them not to call one of Brian's associates to borrow his jet so they could fly out here. If they just left all of the sudden then they would leave Major at home scared and confused and that's not what he needs right now. I convinced them to wait a few days to fly out here. Not only to let the weather clear up but also so they can come up with some good lie to tell to Major.

I have my forehead against the glass of Alex's room. I was able to get Alex her own private room once they moved her from the ICU but I'm too afraid to go in there. I'm too afraid to take her hand in mine and not feel her squeeze it. I'm too afraid to go in there and call out her name and see no response from her. I can't go in there. Paige went to the hospital cafeteria to get us some coffee.

"Jordan!" I hear someone call out my name.

I turn my head in the direction the voice came from. Sage is running toward me.

"Oh my God Jordan!" she exclaims.

Sage runs into my arms. She's hugging me and I'm hugging her back.

"I tried to get here faster but the roads outside are horrible!" she cries.

"Shh it's ok. You're here now."

Sage and I pull away from each other. Sage turns her head and a look of horror appears on her face. Sage puts her hand up against the glass.

"Lexie," she whispers. Sage turns to me. "What did the doctors say?"

"She did fine in surgery but they don't know how long it's going to take for her to wake up. They said that she might be in a coma."

Sage's jaw just dropped. Sage places her hands over her mouth.

"Oh God," she says.

"Hey, I got us coffee. It's not good coffee but it's coffee."

I turn my head. There's Paige with two coffees in her hand. Paige's eyes land on Sage and her face falls.

"Hello Sage," Paige says.

"What are you doing here?" Sage asks Paige. Did I hear a hint of anger in her voice?

"I'm here for Alex hon, just like you."

Sage snickers. "Yeah, I bet you're here for Alex."

"What are you getting at hon? I'm here for Alex just like you and Jordan are."

"No you're not," Sage says. "I know why Jordan is here, because she's Alex's sister and best friend. I know why I'm here, because I'm her girlfriend. But why are **you **here?"

"Maybe you didn't get the memo hon but I'm Alex's friend."

Sage snickers. "Please **hon**, you're a girl who's hopelessly in love with **MY** girlfriend and doesn't know how to take a hint."

Oh this cannot be happening, not right now. Paige places the coffees on the floor against the wall. She steps closer to Sage.

"Listen Sage, I don't know what the hell your problem is but you need to get over it," Paige says.

Sage steps up to Paige. "My problem is with you Michalchuk. You think you're so slick and so wonderful because you're a successful fashion designer and your friends have forgiven you for the Hollywood disaster but I see right through you. I see the way you've looked at Lexie since the very first day I met you. This whole time you've been trying to steal her away from me, even now."

"You're delusional!" Paige shouts. "I'm here because my friend was in a car accident! I'm sorry you see this as some kind of ploy of me trying to get back with Alex but you're crazy. I don't need to steal Alex from you because you were already distancing yourself from her. Who do you think has been there for her these past months? Not you! And who did Alex loved first? Certainly not you bitch!"

"Bitch? I'll show you a bitch, bitch."

That's enough. That's it.

"Shut up the both of you!" I yell. Both girls are looking at me surprised. "What the fuck? Are you really doing this right now? Really?" I point to Alex. "My best friend, my SISTER is in there right now and all you two seem to focus on is this stupid competition about who should be with Alex! Are you fucking kidding me? You should be ashamed of yourselves! Get out of my face!"

Paige and Sage are staring at me. What do they not understand English now?"

"I said get out of my face!" I yell. "NOW!"

Paige and Sage walk away in different directions. I turn back around and look at Alex. I rest my forehead against the glass.

"God help me," I mutter.

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**A/N: Paige and Sage don't care where they are, they'll argue anywhere.**

**Reviews are love! =) **


	59. Open Your Eyes

**A/N: First I would just like to say that I'm happy I'm blowing everyone's minds away with my twists. As an author you always want to surprise your readers and blow their minds away. Also if anyone can tell me who I describe Dr. Monroe (from the last chapter)as then I will give you a personal shout out and contribute to a future chapter ;) First person with the correct guess wins!**

**-I think fanfic might tell you I posted this on Dec. 28 but it's actually Dec. 29 right now at my house. posted at 1:37 am EST**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi or its characters but I did almost own Grey's Anatomy Season 6 on DVD. darn =(  


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**I'm a big fan of Grey's Anatomy. Seriously, like a HUGE fan. Mostly because of my favorite couple Calzona, that's Callie Torres and Arizona Robbins. There was an ending of one of the episodes of season six that really made me cry. Callie and Arizona have broken up and it is obvious that Callie isn't over her. At the end of the episode they end up on the elevator together and they start making out with each other. When the elevator stops at the next floor Arizona turns around and leaves Callie standing there, looking lost and confused. It's not just the scene itself that makes me cry but it's the song in the background, "_Open Your Eyes"_, by Andrew Belle.

_Open your eyes now it's time to see, if you can reach me._

I need Alex to open her eyes. I need her to wake up and open her eyes. I need Alex to come back and open her eyes.

I'm in Alex's room right now holding her hand. It's been two days since the accident and she still hasn't woken up. I've slept here for the past two nights in a chair right beside Alex. Although hospital policy clearly states when visiting hours are over, when they tried to kick me out of her room I almost bite their heads off. Paige is probably at the hotel right now. Seeing as she's not a family member she didn't get as much leeway as I did so she had to go down the street and rent out a hotel room. I have no idea where Sage is at this exact moment. She's probably somewhere in the hospital, seeing as she hasn't left this place since she arrived either.

"Alex," I say her name, hoping she can hear me. "I hope you can hear me. Christmas is in five days and it would be REALLY awesome if you woke up."

No activity whatsoever. My eyes sting. I'm on the verge of tears.

"Mom and Dad will be here tomorrow," I tell her. "Staying at home has been killing them. They said they want to be here when you wake up. That if you don't wake up by Christmas then it'll be ok because at least we'll all be together on Christmas."

There's still no sign of activity. I sigh.

"Please Alex," I whisper. "I need you. I need you to open up your eyes. I need my big sister."

_Knock, knock!_

I turn my ahead and look at the door. It's Paige. I get up from my seat.

"I'll be right back," I tell an unconscious Alex.

I walk to the door and open it. I exit the room and close the door behind me.

"Any change?" Paige asks.

I shake my head as the tears begin to fall down my face. I can't feel my legs anymore. I collapse into Paige's arm.

"Shh," Paige says comfortingly. "I got you hon, I got you."

"What if she doesn't wake up?" I cry. "What am I going to do? She's my best friend!"

Paige is rubbing my back, trying to calm me down. "Everything will be ok Jordan," she says. "Lexie is a fighter, she'll pull through."

I continue crying on Paige's shoulder. I can't stop the tears from falling. What if Alex doesn't pull through? What if she never wakes up?

**Later:**

Once again I'm in Alex's room right by her side. Paige left to go get me a change of clothes. Apparently I'm starting to smell in the ones I'm wearing right now. Sage just left Alex's bed side to get some food. I'm sitting in my chair holding Alex's hand.

"I need you to wake up," I tell Alex. "Not for me but for Major. Mom and Dad still don't know what to tell him. He's only three and a half. What do you tell a three and a half year old? A disaster in his world is when he drops his Oreo cookie on the ground." I chuckle, the first time in what seems like forever. "I think these past couple of days has proven that your Major's favorite sister. He keeps asking to talk to you. Whenever I get on the phone with him he just says "Jordy where's Awex? Can I talk to Awex?" I definitely think he likes you more than me."

I hang my head down low staring at the ground. Wait… What was that? I think I just felt my hand being squeezed. I look up at Alex. Is that a small smile on her face?

"Alex? Alex can you hear me?"

Oh my God. Oh my God.

"Alex I swear to God if you can hear me then open your eyes!"

I can see Alex's eyelids moving. Oh my God. Alex starts fluttering her eyes open.

"Alex?"

I hear her body take in a breath of air. Alex slowly opens her eyes. She's looking at me and I'm looking back at her. Slowly a small smile appears on her face.

"I told you," she whispers.

"What?"

"I told you I was Major's favorite sister."

Oh my God! I instantly wrap my arms around Alex.

"Ow!" Alex winces in pain.

I back away quickly. "I'm sorry," I apologize. "I'm just so glad you're awake."

Alex slightly moves her head side to side. She seems confused.

"Jordan, where am I?" she asks.

"You don't remember anything?"

"I-I remember being in a taxi cab on my way to Sage's place. I remember the light turning red and the driver stomped on the break. And then I remembering skidding across the road and everything gets dark after that."

I take Alex's hand in mine. "Alex, you were in an accident," I tell her slowly and as calmly as possibly. "A car hit your taxi which caused you to skid across the street and hit a pole."

A look of horror appears on Alex's face. "What?"

I'm nodding my head.

"Oh my God! Have I been sleeping for like five years?"

I raise my eyebrow questioningly. I think someone has watched too many movies.

"You've been asleep for about three days," I tell her.

Alex sighs in relief. "That's it?" she asks as if it's no big deal. "That's not too bad."

What did she just say? Did she really just say that her being asleep for three days wasn't too bad?

"Are you kidding me?" I half yell at her. "Not too bad? I got a call in the middle of the night telling me my sister was in a car accident. I fly and ride a Snow Trac to get here and then a doctor tells me that your spleen was ruptured and that you hit your head and you might go into a deep coma. Then you wake up three days later and tell me it's not that bad?"

Alex is just looking at me. "Should you really be yelling at someone who just woke up from a coma?" she asks.

Ugh! "If it wasn't for that fact that you almost died I kill you myself right now!"

Alex smiles. "I love you too."

I shake my head but I can't help but smile. Alex woke up. After hours and hours of praying to about twenty different gods she finally woke up. I can't be mad at her.

"I love you too," I tell her.

**Three Days Before Christmas:**

So a couple of minutes after Alex woke up I called Mom and Brian and told them the good news. They hopped on the next plane out of Toronto and arrived here a few hours later. Beth is also in New York as well. She's currently at the hotel watching Major. They didn't want to bring him to the hospital just yet. I called Paige and she came rushing back. She didn't go into Alex's room though. She just stood outside looking at Alex talking to Mom and Brian. I'm not sure what she's afraid of but apparently it's serious enough to keep her from going into Alex's room.

As soon as Sage heard the news that Alex was up she ran up five flights of stairs to Alex's room. Sage ran into the room and immediately kissed Alex. It would have been cute if Sage hadn't pushed me out of the way, not cool.

I'm currently in Alex's room right now. Paige is probably in her hotel at the current moment. Sage went back to her place to shower since she hasn't showered in days. Mom and Brian are out buying Alex new clothes and I'm in Alex's room… feeding her.

"Can you hold the spoon steady please?" Alex asks.

"I don't understand why I have to feed you," I tell her.

Alex slightly moves her right arm. "I'm right handed and my arm is broken."

"Yeah your arm, not your hand."

"Ya know you'd think after I have a near death experience you'd be a little nicer to me."

"I heard that after someone has a near death experience you're suppose to help them adjust by acting and keeping things the same. That's all I'm doing." I smile.

"Well can someone please tell Mom and Dad that?" Alex asks. "Mom probably bought all the clothes in Macy's today."

"You know how Mom is. She loves shopping for her kids and you being in a car accident triggered the super shopper in her. I think this is her way of coping with almost losing a child."

_Knock, knock._

Someone softly knocks on the door. The door opens and Sage walks in with a smile on her face.

"Hi," she greets us softly.

Alex sits up. "Hey," she greets her.

"I'm just going to go outside," I tell them. "I'll let you two talk."

I leave the room giving the couple alone time. Well I guess I'm really not giving them alone time since I'm right outside watching them through the glass window. Wow, I sound like a creeper. Well at least all they're doing is talking. I hear some high heel shoes clicking against the floor. I turn my head and look down the hall. Hey, it's Paige. And she's carrying a flower bouquet. Oo, it's a nice flower bouquet.

"Hello Paige," I greet her. "Nice bouquet."

"Hi hon," Paige greets me with a small smile on her face. "Thanks."

Paige stands beside me and looks into Alex's room. Ok, small smile just disappeared. Paige is watching Alex and Sage.

"I'd thought she'd be at her apartment or at work," Paige says.

"Nope," I tell her. "She's here, although I do wonder about her job now that you've mentioned it."

Paige and I continue watching Alex and Sage. I wonder what they're talking about. Alex is using a lot of hand motions with her left hand and Sage is nodding a lot. I wonder if she's going to hurt her neck from all the nodding. Alex takes Sage's hands into her only working hand. It looks like Alex is looking deeply into Sage's eye but you can't really see from this far of a distance. I look over at Paige. She was carrying the bouquet up to her chest but now she's holding it with one hand at her side. I turn my attention back to Alex and Sage. Sage leans down to Alex and now they're kissing.

I hear something fall to the floor. I turn my head and look. Where Paige once stood is now a bouquet on the floor, petals scattered everywhere. I turn my head and look down the hallway. Paige is walking away.

"Paige!" I call out her name. "Paige, wait come back!"

What is up with her? First she demands to come to New York with me and then when Alex wakes up she doesn't even see her! Paige Michalchuk is so confusing. I turn my attention back to Sage and Alex. Sage is walking toward the door. I see her wipe a tear away. Was that a happy tear? Sage comes out of the room.

"Hey, you ok?" I ask her.

Sage gives me a small smile. "I'm fine Jordan," she tells me. "I'll see you later."

Sage walks away, in the same direction Paige walked in. I look back at Alex and she's running her hand through her hair. Alright that's it, I need to get some better, less confusing girl friends.  


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**A/N: Left ya with a bit of a cliff hanger... hmm... Hope that didn't seem too quick. I didn't want Alex to be in a coma forever and a day. I mean we do have much more to discuss and explore. Also one of my readers is very very smart and clever =)**


	60. We Have to Change the Name of Christmas

**A/N: Good MORNING! I decided to start today off with an update! So this chapter is really REALLY short, like less than 1,000 words. It didn't need to be long because I believe it gets the point across. congrats to XxkoeyxX for being the winner. You were the first person to guess right and to guess overall. I portrayed Dr. Monroe after Dr. Owen Hunt on Grey's Anatomy. I'll be messaging you later about your prize. Also I had 887 hits on my stories yesterday. 887! WHOA! Thanks you guys so much! Enjoy the chapter =)**

**-Updated Dec. 29 posted at 9:12 am EST**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi or its characters. I have nothing witty to say in this one. too tired.  
**

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Every year since I was five years old I've woken up bright and early on Christmas morning and this year is no exception. I slightly open my eyes. The room is still dark and Alex is sleeping. I move around in the chair I've been sleeping in. The hospital staff, my parents, and Beth tried to convince me to go to the hotel to get some proper sleep but I told them that I wanted to wake up on Christmas morning with Alex by my side. After hours of arguments they finally saw it my way. Never argue with me because 90 percent of the time I will win.

For once in my life I feel like it's too early to wake up on Christmas morning. I think it's this damn chair. I curl back into the damned chair. Everyone is supposed to be coming here around ten am when the hospital's visiting hours start. Judging by the lack of sunlight peeping through the blinds I'm going to go ahead and say it's six something, which means I have about four hours till people start popping up. That's fine with me.

Wait, did I just hear the door open? Ok, I definitely just heard someone softly close the door. Maybe if I pretend to still be asleep the person will leave. Or maybe it's just a checking on Alex. Yeah, that's it a nurse.

"Oh Lexie," the person whispers.

Wait is that Paige? I slowly crack my eyes open. It is Paige! What is she doing here so early in the morning? How did she even get in? Paige takes Alex's hand into her own and is holding it. Ok, time to be as still a statue.

"Oh Lexie," Paige whispers. "I'm so sorry." Paige pushes back some of Alex's hair.

It looks like Alex is stirring. I think she's waking up.

"Paige?" Alex asks tiredly.

"Hi hon," Paige greets her and smiles.

"Oh Paigey, I'm so glad you're here. Where have you been?"

"I've been in my hotel room. I was a little afraid to come in here."

Alex sits up. "Why were you afraid?"

"Well the last time we talked to each other wasn't exactly one of our best moments together."

Alex sighs. "Yeah," she agrees. "Listen Paige, aboot that-"

"You don't need to explain anything hon," Paige interrupts her. "I get it. You made your decision and I respect it. And although it pains me to say this because I REALLY hate Sage, I hope that you two are very happy together. I just hope you don't forget aboot me and-"

"Shh," Alex says and puts her hand over Paige's mouth. "Like always Michalchuk you talk way too much."

Paige hands her head down. "Sorry," she says.

Alex raises Paige's head. "Don't be sorry," she says. "It's one of the many things I love aboot you."

Wait, did Alex just say "love"? Although I can't exactly see facial expressions right now because I'm only peeking but I'm pretty sure Paige is surprised by what Alex just said.

"Love?" Paige asks.

I think Alex is nodding her head. "Paige when the car struck my taxi that day the only thing I thought aboot was 'What if I die and don't get to tell Paige that I love her?'"

Holy!

"Oh my God," Paige whispers.

"When I was starting to wake up you were the first person I wanted to see," Alex says. "I wanted to see you and tell you exactly how I feel aboot you."

"And how do you feel aboot me hon?"

I hear Alex take a deep breath. "I've loved you since senior year of high school Paige," she admits. "I'm mad at myself that I didn't tell you that before you left for Banting and I'm mad at myself for denying it for so many years not only to you but to myself. I've always love you Paige, I've never stopped loving you and I don't think I ever could."

WHOA! WHOA! WHOA! Ok, I think I might have over done the "whoa's" but this is BIG! Alex just confessed her love for Paige TO Paige. Wow!

"I… I don't know what to say," Paige says.

"I was hoping for an 'I love you too' maybe."

"If you love me then why did you come to New York?" Paige asks.

Yes, I would like to know the answer to that as well.

"I came to New York to break up with Sage to her face. I was in a relationship with her for three and a half years. I couldn't just break up with her over the phone. That wouldn't have been fair to either of us. It had to be face to face. Plus the plane ticket was nonrefundable."

I roll my eyes, kind of. If it wasn't for the fact that I'm pretending to be asleep then I would actually laugh out loud.

"Why did I see you kissing Sage the other day then?"

Oo, good question.

"She was saying goodbye to me," Alex answers. "Sage was kissing me goodbye."

Oooh! So that's way Sage came out of the room crying. That would also explain why I hadn't seen her in a couple of days. Wow, she took the break up pretty well.

"Oh," Paige says. "Are you sure aboot this? Are you sure this isn't your reaction to your near death experience?"

"Paige the moment I woke up that morning to leave for New York I knew who I wanted to be with. Paige Michalchuk, you're the girl for me. I love you."

Aw, I think I'm going to cry. Wait, I'm not hearing Paige saying anything back. I actually don't hear any talking but more like kissing sounds. I open my eyes all the way. Paige and Alex are kissing each other. Aw, I really do feel a tear coming now. Paige pulls away. Close eyes!

"I love you too," Paige says. "Merry Christmas Lexie."

"Merry Christmas Paigey."

IT'S A CHRISTMAS MIRACLE! All is right with the world! I nominate that the name Christmas be officially changed to "Palex Resurrection Day". Sorry Jesus but Palex is back!

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**A/N: THAT'S RIGHT! PALEX IS BACK! Ya know part of me really wants to end the story with this but I have 11 more chapters to write. But you have to admit that this is kind of the perfect stopping place. And shout out to .o for being so clever ;)**


	61. A Not So Typical Sunday

**A/N: This is up late for TWO reasons. #1 it's really long. #2 I had a friend come over, someone I haven't seen in months, and we ended up talking for two hours. MY BAD!**

**- Update on Dec. 29 at 5:46 pm EST**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi or it's characters. That is all.  


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**Wow, life sure has changed since December. Honestly if you had told me four months ago that Alex would be involved in a car accident I would have slapped you. If you had told me four months ago that Palex would be back then part of me would have believed you because I was always holding on to some hope that they would get back together. I feel like finally everything is back to normal.

After Christmas Alex was released from the hospital and was able to come back home. Mom and Brian really wanted Alex to live back at home with them but we insisted that Alex stay at the condo. Alex was able to go back to school when the semester started back up. My parents and I wanted her to take a semester off but she refused to. Paige has, of course, has been at the condo 24/7 ever since we came back from New York. Last I heard Sage and Alex are keeping their distance from each other. Alex didn't want to hurt Sage anymore than she already has and decided that giving Sage space would be good for her to heal.

It's February which means Paige is busy getting her summer collection together. Apparently her collection is the most highly anticipated collection of the season. All I know is that when Paige isn't working she's with Alex. Alex still has the cast on her arm and it has to been on there for two more months. Alex isn't too happy about that since she's having trouble writing, and other things I'd rather not mention. They removed the brace for her leg but she had to go through a little bit of physical therapy for it. She still walks kind of funny but I think in a few weeks she'll be back to normal.

I've been working a lot at the station lately. I'm still on the 11pm to 5am shift because of all the time I took off to take care of Alex. The station completely understood my need to take off but it also kind of hurt me. Beth is still busy studying and taking classes at Vet school. She's really happy and she always looks excited to go to class.

I'm chillin in the living room right now watching television. It's Sunday which means it's my day off. I like to watch TV on my off days. Paige and Alex are upstairs yelling about something. I don't know why they're yelling. They just got back together. Uh-oh, I hear footsteps coming down the stairs. I do not have a good feeling about this.

Palex walks into the living room and now they're standing in front of me.

"Jordan, we need your help," Paige says.

I groan. Well there goes my day off.

"Do I have to?" I ask.

"Yes," Alex says.

I sigh. "Ok, what's up?"

"We need couple's counseling," Paige says.

I raise my eyebrow. "Umm… ok? And you need me to recommend someone to you?"

Paige is shaking her head. "We need you to be the counselor."

"Umm… You do know I'm not a counselor right? I didn't even take a single psychology or sociology class in college."

"Well Lexie doesn't want to go to an actually professional."

"I don't want some stranger all up in our business," Alex says defensively.

"But you want **me** all up in your business?" I ask.

Alex scoffs. "Please you're already in our business all the time anyway."

Ok she may have a point there.

"This way we don't have to pay anyone," Alex says.

"Oh so really you want to use me because you don't have to pay me?" I ask.

Paige rolls her eyes. "Hon will you just do this for us or not?" Paige asks.

Well it is Sunday which means there's nothing that good on TV anyway. I might as well. I mean Beth is hanging out with her brother all day today so it's not like I have anything else to do.

"Ok," I tell them. I stand up. "You two sit on the couch. I'll go get one of the dining room chairs and a pad and pencil."

**Counseling Session:**

Let me just say that I feel really smart and cool right now. I'm sitting in a chair across from Palex with a notebook and pencil in my hand. I'm also wearing my smart looking glasses. They're glasses that I have just to have that make me look smart.

"So tell me," I start, speaking in a German accent. "What brings you into my office today?"

Alex shakes her head. "Cut the bad German accent Jordan," she says. "Just act normal."

"Ok fine. Why are you taking away my Sunday from me?"

"Well seeing as this is like the millionth time we've started a relationship with each other I want to make sure that we don't mess up this time," Paige says. "I think there are certain issues we need to discuss and talk aboot."

"Alrighty, and Alex do you agree?"

Alex is nodding her head. "I definitely want to make this work this time around and I agree that there are issues we need to talk aboot."

"Alright. Well how about we start with the biggest issue at hand."

"Paige coming out to her parents," Alex says.

"My work," Paige says at the same time as Alex.

Whoa. Paige and Alex are looking at each other with the same expression of disbelief on their faces.

"Your work?" Alex asks. "What aboot your work?"

"Well sometimes my work will take me away from the city," Paige says. "Sometimes I'll have to go to New York, or L.A., or even Paris. As a fashion designer I have to travel for my job so I might not always be here. And what aboot me coming out to my parents?"

"Well Paigey don't you think it's aboot time you did that?" Alex asks. "I mean that was one of the reasons why it was difficult for us to get back together four years ago."

"No, I believe the issue was me dealing with labeling myself which I have come to terms with. I don't believe in labels but if I have to label myself, then I'm bisexual."

"Well it's nice that you've finally come to terms with labels and what not but don't you think it's important for this relationship that you come out to your parents?"

"Alex does have a point," I tell them. "If you want this relationship to work then not only do you have to be true to yourself but you also need to be true to those closest to you."

Paige is looking between Alex and me. "What am I suppose to do?" she asks. "Go to my parents' house, knock on the door, and say 'Hey Mom and Dad! I'm leaving for Florida to go launch my summer line and by the way Alex and I are dating!'?"

"Well I wasn't suggesting **that** exactly but you can do that if that's what you want," I tell her.

"Paige it's not that big of a deal," Alex says. "You're 23 years old. You're a grown woman. I think your parents would understand that this is your life and you're going to live it as you please."

Paige sighs. "Can we move on to a different topic now?" she asks.

I look at her. "Ok," I tell her. "But we'll come back to this issue later. Moving on…"

**Later:**

Two hours later and we're still sitting down here. Alex and Paige have discussed everything from their exes to how each of them was feeling during different events through the years. We calmly talked about the Hollywood disaster. Paige admitted that she was jealous that Alex was in a successful loving relationship while she was out in L.A. alone. Alex admitted that the reason why she pulled away when Paige tried to kiss her was because she was afraid the kiss would lead to something more and she didn't want to cheat on Sage nor did she want to admit to herself that she still had feelings her Paige.

Paige admitted her dislike for Sage, although Alex and I both already knew that. Alex admitted that while she was with Sage Paige was always in the back of her mind but that she really wanted to move on with her life and she was hoping that proposing to Sage would finally make her feelings for Paige go away completely. Paige admitted that the reason she stayed was Griffin was because she didn't want to be alone again, although he might have had potentially infected her with HIV and he helped her from thinking about Alex as much. Alex admitted that she went ape shit on Griffin was because not only was she pissed about him having HIV and not telling Paige before he slept with her but also she didn't like the way he looked. Alex said she thought he looked like a douche bag. I really need this "session" to be over.

"Ok, is there anything else you two are keeping from each other that you'd like to talk about?" I ask.

Paige looks down at the floor and Alex's eyes are roaming, looking everywhere but at Paige. Ok, these two are definitely hiding something from each other.

"Ok, there's obviously something that you two are keeping from each other that you want to discuss," I tell them. "Paige, do you want to go first?"

Paige turns and looks at Alex.

"Hon, there's something I've never told you aboot before," Paige says, her voice cracking.

Tears are slowly beginning to fall down her face. I run to the kitchen and grab the box of Kleenex off the counter. I come back to the living room and put the box down beside Paige.

"Do you remember how hesitant I was to be intimate with you in high school?" Paige asks.

Ok I feel a bit uncomfortable now.

Alex nods her head. "Yeah," Alex says. "I was hesitant too. It was both our first times being with a girl."

Paige is shaking her head. "But I was scared," she says.

Alex takes Paige's hand. "Paige it's ok," she tells her calmly. "You can tell me anything."

Paige takes a deep breath. "Back in grade nine I went to a party," she starts, her voice sounding shaky. "There was a boy there that I liked. I flirted with him and we went upstairs."

Ok, I 'm not liking where this story is heading.

"We started kissing," Paige continues. "He- he…"

The tears begin falling down Paige's face as she cries.

"I told him no," Paige cries. "I told him no!"

Alex instantly has her arms around Paige, holding her.

"Paigey, why didn't you tell me before?" Alex asks.

"Because I didn't want to burden you with something so horrible that happened to me years ago," Paige tells her. "I didn't want you to look at me differently or be afraid to touch me."

"Paigey, you could NEVER burden me with your past," Alex says sincerely. Alex pulls away slightly to look at Paige. "What's the name of the asshole that did this to you? I'll go kick his ass right now!"

Yeah, because even though she has a messed up leg and a broken arm Alex can still kick some guy's ass. Or at least she thinks she can.

Paige wipes away the tears falling down her face and she's shaking her head. "No hon," she says. "I already got my revenge. Aboot two years later I was at a party with Dylan, Marco, and Spinner after helping Dylan move in and I… I sort of took Spinners car and crashed it into the guy's car."

Alex's eyes widen. "Is that why you had to pay Spinner back?" she asks.

Paige is nodding her head. "Yeah, I kind of totaled the back of his car, but at least I got my revenge."

Alex pulls Paige back into her arms and kisses her on the forehead. "I'm so sorry that happened to you," she says sincerely. "And I'm so sorry you were afraid to tell me."

"Hon, it's ok," Paige says. Paige pulls back a little and looks at Alex. "**I'm **ok now."

Whew! Lots of emotion in this room right. I just had to wipe a tear away. I clear my throat.

"That was… very strong of you Paige," I tell her as my voice cracks from all of the emotions that I'm feeling right now.. "Ok, I think we're done."

"Wait," Alex says suddenly. "I have something to say." Alex looks really scared and nervous. She looks at Paige. "I have to tell you something that only four people know aboot."

Alex looks at me. Oh my God, is she really going to tell her? Alex looks back at Paige.

"It's something I should have told you a long time ago," Alex says, her voice cracking.

"Alex…" I start. "Are you sure?"

Alex nods her head. Now Paige looks scared.

"Lexie what is it?" she asks. "You can tell me anything hon. I love you."

"You might hate me after I tell you," Alex says.

Paige places her hands on Alex's face. "I could **never** hate you," she says seriously.

Alex takes a deep breath. "It's aboot Rick Murray."

Paige seems confused. "What aboot him?"

Alex gulps. "I-I… It's my fault the shooting happened," she says, her voice shaking. "It's my fault Jimmy got shot."

"Hon, what are you talking aboot? Spinner and Jay confessed that they were the ones who pulled the prank and told Rick that it was Jimmy who did it."

Alex is shaking her head. "I was vice president which meant I had keys and access to the backstage area. He pissed us off that day and anger and hatred was clouding my judgment. I went backstage during the lighting round and set up the paint and feathers. I'm the reason why Rick was humiliated. I'm the reason why he went off and brought a gun to school. It's my fault. And that's the reason why Jordan stopped talking to me. She tried to stop me that day but I didn't listen."

Tears are pouring down Alex's face right now. This has to be the most emotional thing I've ever witness in my whole life.

"Paige I'm so sorry," Alex cries. "I'm so sorry!"

Paige looks lost. She's opening and closing her mouth, not sure what to say. I'm just sitting here, not sure what to say myself.

Paige turns to Alex. "Why didn't you tell me?" she asks.

"Jordan had already stopped talking to me for what I had done. And you had already shut Spinner out of your life when he confessed to what he did. When you and I had started dating I wanted to tell you so many times but I was so scared that you would hate me. I couldn't even handle the thought of you leaving me and hating me."

Paige rests her forehead against Alex's. "Hon, I could never hate you," Paige whispers. "I wish you would have told me sooner though."

"I know," Alex cries. "I'm just so sorry. It's my fault Jimmy got shot. It's my fault Rick ended up dead that day."

"Shh," Paige whispers. "It's not your fault. It's not your fault that Rick came back to school with a gun. You didn't give him the gun. You didn't tell him to shoot Jimmy." Paige gently grabs Alex's face and looks her straight in the eyes. "It is not your fault Alex. You made a mistake but it's not your fault."

"How can you just forgive me?" Alex asks.

"Because I love you and love is aboot forgiveness."

More tears fall down Alex's face. "I love you too. I love you so much."

Both of them lean in and now they're kissing. They're still kissing. Ok this kissing looks like it's getting pretty heated. Paige falls backward on the couch and now Alex is hovering over her and they're still kissing. Um… ok… I think it's time for me to leave.

"I'm just going to go now," I tell them

No response from either one of them. No surprise there. I get up from my seat and go upstairs. I look back at the kissing couple. Jeez, I really hope they don't have sex on the couch.

**Later:**

"Jordan. Jordan, wake up."

Is someone calling out my name? I turn in my bed. I'm trying to enjoy the rest of my nap. Maybe this person will go away.

"Jordan!" the person calls out my name again, this time loud.

Ahh! Why is this person shaking me?

"Jorda, get up!" the person yells.

Ugh! I reluctantly open my eyes. Paige is standing above me.

"What?" I ask. "I'm trying to enjoy a nap."

"I need you to come somewhere with me," she says.

I turn and look at the clock. It reads 5 pm. "Where are we going?" I ask. "We have dinner in two hours."

Every since we got back after Alex's accident all of us have been going to my parents' house on Sunday nights. Mom and Brian claimed that life is too short and that families need to spend more time together. Now every Sunday night we have dinner at their house.

"I know," Paige says. "It'll be really quick."

"Why do I have to go?" I ask. "Why can't Alex go?"

"Because Alex is sleeping."

"And so was I!"

"Hon," she says in a pleading tone. "I need some support. Will you please come with me, please?"

Her voice sounds slightly scared and her eyes are pleading to me. Ugh, damn my heart of gold.

"Fine," I tell her and reluctantly get out of my bed. "But we have to make this quick. I was supposed to bring a pie to dinner tonight."

"It'll be really quick," Paige says. "I promise."

**Michalchuks' House:**

Paige and I are standing in front of her parents' house. I'm not one hundred percent sure why though. Well I'm not one hundred percent sure why I'm here exactly.

"Paige, are you going to do what I think you're going to do?" I ask.

Paige is nodding her head. "Yep."

"Why am I here then?" I ask.

"Because hon I need some support and unfortunately Beth hadn't come back yet."

Nice to know I'm her second choice. Paige knocks on the door. I'm holding my breath, I don't even know why. The door opens.

"Paige!" Mrs. Michalchuk says surprised and excited. "I didn't know you were coming over today. Come in darling, come in."

Paige walks into the house and I'm right behind her.

"I'm so happy to see you," Mrs. Michalchuk tells Paige. She pulls her in for a hug. Now she's looking at me. "It's nice to see you too Jordan."

"Hello Mrs. Michalchuk," I greet her.

Mrs. Michalchuk waves me off. "Please Jordan, call me Rose. How's Alex by the way?"

"Alex is good," I tell her. "She can almost walk back to normal."

"That's really good. I'm so happy to hear that."

"Mom, is Dad here?" Paige asks.

"Of course of course," Mrs. Michalchuk answers. "Roger!" Mrs. Michalchuk calls out Mr. Michalchuk's name. "Paige and Jordan are here!" Mrs. Michalchuk turns back to Paige. "What's up honey?"

"I just need to tell you and Dad something," Paige says.

A look of concern appears on Mrs. Michalchuk's face. "Aboot what honey?"

"I just need to talk to you and Dad."

Mr. Michalchuk walks into the foyer. "Hello sweetie!" he greets Paige. "Jordan," he greets me and holds out his hand.

I shake Mr. Michalchuk's hand. "Hello Mr. Michalchuk," I greet him. "How are you?"

"Please Jordan, call me Roger. I'm good. How are you? How's married life?"

"I'm great and married life is terrific."

"That's good to hear. Sorry the Mrs. and I couldn't be at the wedding. But I hope you got our present."

I'm nodding my head. "Yes I did," I tell him. "Beth absolutely loves the mixer. She's always using it."

"That's good," Mrs. Michalchuk says. "See Roger I told you that was the perfect gift to get them."

"As always dear you were right," Mr. Michalchuk says.

Paige's parents lead us to the living room. Mr. and Mrs. Michalchuk sit on the couch while Paige sits down on the futon across from them. I'm standing up against the wall. Ya know, just in case I need to make a quick exit.

"Jordan dear, wouldn't you like to sit down?" Mrs. Michalchuk asks me.

"Oh no thank you," I answer. "Standing up burns more calories."

"Hmm." Mrs. Michalchuk turns to Paige. "Ok honey, what do you want to talk to us aboot?"

Paige takes a deep breath. "Well first I want to tell you two that I love you so much. If it wasn't for you two I wouldn't be where I am right now."

"Paige honey, we love you too," Mr. Michalchuk says. "What is this aboot?"

"Well you know how I went to New York when Alex got in her car accident?"

They're both nodding their heads.

"And I told you I went there to be there for her because we're friends. Well that wasn't the complete truth." Paige takes another deep breath. "The real reason I went to New York to see if Alex was ok was because… I love her."

I just exhaled a breath I didn't even know I was holding in. Mr. and Mrs. Michalchuk are just looking at Paige.

"I'm bisexual," Paige says. "And I have been for awhile now. Alex and I dated back in high school and then again when I came back home from Banting and now we're back together."

Still silence. Usually a long period of silence is not a good sign.

"I love Alex, I really do," Paige continues. "And I just hope me loving her doesn't stop you two from loving me." Paige's voice just cracked which means she's on the verge of crying.

"Paige we could never stop loving you," Mr. Michalchuk says.

"You're our daughter Paige," Mrs. Michalchuk says. "We'll always love you no matter what."

Oh thank God! I thought Mrs. Michalchuk was about to break down and cry. Paige is looking at her parents.

"You mean you're not disappointed?" she asks.

Mrs. Michalchuk looks confused. "Paige, why would we ever be disappointed in you just because you love a girl?"

"Because Dylan is gay and I'm supposed to give you grandchildren!"

Mr. and Mrs. Michalchuk are looking at each other. They look back at Paige.

"You'd think we'd be disappointed at you because of grandchildren?" Mr. Michalchuk asks. "Paige you're 23 years old. You shouldn't even be having children right now. Besides there's always adoption."

Wow they are taking this a whole lot better than I thought they were going to. Paige seems really relieved and a bit confused.

"Sweetie, why do you look confused?" Mrs. Michalchuk asks. Mrs. Michalchuk looks over at me. "You looked shocked and confused as well Jordan."

"I didn't think you'd take it this well," Paige says honestly.

"Paige we accepted your brother for who he is," Mr. Michalchuk tells her. "Why wouldn't we accept you?"

Paige shrugs her shoulders. "I don't know."

"Besides we already knew aboot you and Alex," Mrs. Michalchuk says nonchalantly, as if it's no big deal.

Wait, what?

"What?" Paige exclaims. "How?"

Mrs. Michalchuk starts laughing softly. "Well one day a few years ago I came over to the apartment to come talk to you aboot something. I walk in and I went to your bedroom. It was pretty early and when I opened the door I saw you and Alex sleeping in your bed. You two clearly didn't have any clothes on underneath the covers."

A look of horror appears on Paige's face. I'm quietly laughing. This is kind of funny.

"I'm not too old to put two and two together dear," Mrs. Michalchuk says.

"Why are you just NOW telling me this?" Paige asks. "Why didn't you ever say anything?"

"Because I wasn't sure if it was an experiment or something real. Besides I figured if it was real then sooner or later you'd tell me yourself. I learned many years ago at a PFLAG meeting that you must wait till your children are ready to tell you themselves. You're not supposed to pressure them into saying anything, so I didn't."

"Well jeez Mom, you pressured me aboot telling you everything else. I've been keeping this a secret for years!"

"I'm sorry darling!" Mrs. Michalchuk exclaims. "I didn't know it was eating you up inside. Next time I'll pressure you to come out to me."

Paige looks at her dad. "And why didn't you say anything?"

"Anything that deals with you and no clothes immediately gets blocked from my brain and memory," Mr. Michalchuk says. "The thought of my little girl in bed naked with anyone, guy or girl, makes me want to jump into a time machine and go back to when you were three and thought everyone was icky."

Wow.

Paige is smiling at her parents. "I love you two," she says.

They all get up and hug. Aww it's a family Michalchuk hug. Now all we need is Dylan.

"And we love you Paige," Mrs. Michalchuk says.

"No matter who you love," Mr. Michalchuk adds.

Wow, well today sure was interesting. I did not expect my Sunday to turn into this. I wonder what'll happen next Sunday.  


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**A/N: I caught you and your girlfriend naked while you two were sleeping - that could have been the title of this chapter. LOL!**


	62. Time for You to Move Out

**A/N: One day I update seven times and the next day only two. My bad. I hung out with some friends and performed at a coffee shop =) I think everyone will enjoy this chapter and get some laughs out of it. It's meant to be a very funny chapter. There is a little bit of seriousness in it but mostly comedy.**

**-First update of Dec. 30 at 3:55 am EST  
**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi or its characters. Nor do I own any Playboy bunny magazines.  


* * *

**I'm not a light sleeper, nor am I a deep sleeping. I'm just a regular sleeper who doesn't wake up from quiet noises but when you're being loud I wake up.

"Yes! Yes! God Alex, yes!"

Someone make it stop.

"Uhhhh! Don't stop! Yes, right there!"

I just want to die right now.

"Oh my God! Yes! Yes!"

I turn over and look at Beth. She is completely knocked out. I am so jealous of her.

"Ooooh! YES!"

Ok, maybe it's over.

**Ten Minutes Later:  
**"Fuck!"

Just when I thought it was over they start back up again. Luckily though Alex isn't as vocal as Paige. When it comes to Alex she usually just moans a lot, which I can still hear but it's not as bad.

"Ahhh."

And there's the moaning.

"Uhhhh! Ahhh!"

I grab one of the extra pillows off the floor and put it over my head. Maybe I can block out the sounds.

"Uhh! Yes! Ahhhhh!"

Ok I changed my mind, it is **just** as bad.

" I LOVE YOU PAIGE!"

And Alex is done. It's quite disturbing that I know when she's done. I also find it weird that Alex feels the need to declare her love for Paige when she… Well ya know.

You might be wondering what just happened. Well if you are wondering what just happened then you must be under the age of ten or have an IQ lower than 70, or you're just really naïve. But if you're older than the age of ten with an IQ of at least 70 then you know what just happened. You know what I just had to suffer through.

I've been going though this for nights now, ever since I got moved to the afternoon shift. You can now listen to me on Hot 101.5 Mondays through Fridays from 3pm to 7pm which means I'm now home most nights. It also means that I get to listen to the sweet sounds of Palex love making. I hope that from the tone of my voice you can tell that I am very disturbed, annoyed, and a little grossed out. I asked Beth how long this had been going on and she said pretty much since Alex got back from the hospital and I went back to work. I guess the broken arm didn't put a damper on Palex's love life. I then asked her how she slept through it and apparently after the second night she bought slipping pills that knock her right out. I'm thinking it's time for me to get some sleeping pills.

Although they've stopped I still can't sleep. The sounds are haunting me. They're haunting me when I try to go to sleep and they haunt me in my sleep! AHHH! I need a drink. No, not an alcoholic drink, more like some milk. I get out of bed and make my way downstairs.

I hate coming downstairs when it's late at night, it's really creepy. I turn on the kitchen light. I walk to the fridge and open it. Oh thank God we still have milk. I take the milk out of the fridge and turn around. Ahh!

"Oh my baby Jesus!" I yell and jump about ten feet into the air.

Alex just scared the living crap out of me.

She's looking at me weirdly. "What is wrong with you?" she asks.

"You just scared the shit out of me!" I yell. "Don't sneak up on me like that!"

"How can I sneak up on you when I have a bummed leg?" she asks while pointing to her leg.

Ok, she has a point.

"What are you doing awake?" she asks.

"Getting some milk," I tell her while pouring the milk into a glass. "I would ask what you're doing up but I already know."

A huge grin appears on Alex's face. I want to slap the smile off her face.

"Yeah…" she says like a little kid who just found a shiny new quarter. "We didn't wake you did we?"

I'm shaking my head. "Oh no, you didn't wake me," I tell her. "In order to be awoken you have to be a sleep first and I never had that chance of falling sleep."

Alex's smile disappears. "Oh, sorry aboot that."

"I don't understand why you and Paige just don't spend the night at her place. Why don't you just move in with her?"

"Because this is my home," Alex says. "Also we've only been together for two and a half months. Don't you think it's a bit soon for us to take the next step?"

I slam the milk carton down on the counter. "It's not like this would be your first times living together. Plus Paige is here ALL the time. She has pretty much unofficially moved into this place."

"Ok ok," Alex says. "We'll keep it down next time."

Oh yeah, because that makes it soooo much better. I'm looking at Alex with my eyebrow raised questioningly.

"Was there a reason you came down here?" I ask her.

"Oh yeah," Alex says, remembering why she came down here. "I need a bottle of water."

Alex hobbles over to the fridge and grabs a bottle of water out of it. Alex opens the bottle and takes a swig from it. She's smirking at me.

"I really needed that," she says smugly.

"Leave now before I do something that makes you cry out 'Help! I've fallen and I can't get up!'."

Alex frowns at me. "Someone's grumpy when she's tired."

Oh really? She thinks she can mock me? I walk up to Alex and push her. Alex falls and now she's on the floor.

"Ow!" Alex yelps. "Jordan that was a bitch move. Help me up!"

"Nope." I tell her as I make my way to the stairs. See, she's fallen and now she can't get up. She'll be ok.

**Different Day:  
**You know what I haven't done in awhile? Watch some good old television. I've been so busy with work, promotions, and just life in general that I haven't been able to sit down and watch some good old television. Which is exactly what I'm doing right now. I'm sitting on the couch watching Disney Channel. There is no shame in being 22 and watching Disney!

Paige and Alex are off somewhere, I actually don't know where. Wow, I'm a pretty bad sister and friend. Beth walks into the living room and sits down on the couch beside me. I put my arm around her as usual. Hey!

"Hey!" I shout.

Beth just took the remote from me. She turns to the Fashion World channel.

"I was watching that," I tell her.

"You're 22 and you were watching _Hannah Montana_," Beth says. "I'm going to need you to grow up, just a little. Besides Paige just called and she told me to turn to Fashion World."

I cross my arms over my chest and pout. "There is nothing wrong with me watching _Hannah Montana_," I mumble.

"Yeah there is."

_"And now it's time for Fashion Talk with your host Susan Chance!" _the announcer on the TV show announces.

A white lady wearing some kind of "fashionable" outfit appears on the screen. She's a brunette and looks like she's in her early thirties, MAYBE last twenties. She's smiling at her audience.

"Hello my fellow fashionistas!" Susan greets the audience. "I have a special treat for you today! Today I have a very special guest. This designer is one of the youngest hot designers in the fashion world today. She got her start being an assistant and then stylist for actor Jason Mewes. Then she got her big break when fashion designer icon, Rebecca James, took her under her wing. She was one of the designers at the 10 Designers to Watch show at New York's Fashion Week 2008 and ever since then everything has been going her way. Next month she will be making her costumer designing debut with the highly anticipated movie _Henry the Eight_, and will be premiering her new summer collection. Ladies, gentlemen, and fellow fashionistas, show some fashion love for PAIGE MICHALCHUK!"

WHOA! I didn't know Paige was going to be on tv today. Why didn't she tell me? Paige appears on the screen looking fabulous, of course. She's wearing one of her designs and her hair is nicely done. I bet Alex is there too, probably.

"Did you know Paige was going to be up here today?" I ask Beth.

Beth nods her head. "Yeah," she answers.

"Does anyone tell me anything in this house?"

"Why should we? You find out aboot everything anyway from sneaking around like a creeper."

I'm pouting again. "That's not nice."

Beth looks at me and smiles. "But you're a cute creeper," she says. "And you're MY creeper." She kisses me on the cheek.

Ok I guess I'll forgive her. I turn my attention back to the screen. Paige is now sitting down in an armchair while Susan is sitting in an armchair right next to her. The audience is still applauding. Wow, people must really like Paige. Paige is grinning from ear to ear.

"Wow," Susan says. "I don't think I've ever had an audience applaud for that long, even for me."

Paige laughs. "Well they must all be in really good moods today," she says.

"Or they just love you," Susan says. "But who can blame them? You're absolutely fabulous."

The audience starts applauding again and another huge grin appears on Paige's face.

"Thank you hon," she says to Susan. "You're quite fabulous yourself."

"Alright, so let's get started. So as I mentioned earlier, next month _Henry the Eighth _will open in theaters in Canada and the U.S. and already there's a huge buzz around it. Can you tell us a little about the movie and the work you did?"

"Yeah, of course. Well _Henry the Eighth _is aboot King Henry the Eight of England and his struggles with the Catholic Church and his separation from them. The movie really focuses on Henry's personal life at this time because most people only know that he separated from the church because he wanted to get a divorce from his first wife but there's so much more to it than that. Because this movie takes place in the 1500's I spent aboot three months of research looking at old history books and visiting museums in England to make sure I got the right looks. I spent a lot of nights drawing and erasing. I probably ended up using up twenty huge erasers before the movie even started filming."

"So at the time you were hired you had literally just entered the public eye of the fashion world. How did you get hired to be the costume designer for a motion picture movie?"

"Well I actually had a friend who was a P.A. for the movie and around American Thanksgiving she was telling me aboot how they still hadn't had a costume designer because the director and studio couldn't find anyone who they agreed on. So that weekend just for fun I drew up some mock designs. My friend ended up taking my designs, showed them to the director and the rest is history."

"Wow," Susan says, sound fascinated. "That is incredible."

Paige is nodding her head. "When I first got the call telling me I got the job I couldn't believe it. I literally fell out of my chair."

Susan and the audience start laughing.

"Ok so let's move on to your upcoming new summer collection," Susan says. "What can you tell us about it?

"Well I'm very excited aboot it hon," Paige says. "I actually started working on it at the end of last summer and I remembered how I thought to myself that there aren't really enough summer clothes out there that are actually appropriate for young girls these days. Now don't get me wrong, I was definitely one of those girls in high school that as soon as spring rolled around I was in my tank top and some short shorts. But I will admit that there were days where I wanted to wear shorts but I wanted shorts that actually covered my ass and those were pretty hard to find. So I designed this collection with the mindset of designing clothes that will allow girls to show off their bodies when the weather is warm cover them enough at the same time."

"That sounds really interesting," Susan says. "I for one already got my ticket for your show next week."

Paige smiles. "Thank you," she says excitedly. "I'm very excited for the show. This show will be different from any other show I've ever had."

"Well I can't wait. Now it's time to get to a topic that I know all your fans are dying to hear about."

"Ok…"

"Love."

The whole crowd makes that "oo" sound. I didn't know so many people were interested in Paige's love life. Paige is smiling and blushing.

"I didn't know everyone was interested in my love life," she says.

"Oh but we are," Susan says. "The love life of a fashion designer is one of the most interesting things about them. So Paige, feel free to share whatever you want."

Paige laughs softly. "Well I would like to say something to the audience, my fans, and everyone out there in fashion world and non-fashion world. A couple of weeks ago I came out to my parents. After keeping it a secret for years I finally told my parents that I'm bisexual."

Holy! Did she really just say that? On international television? Wow, Paige sure has been gusty lately. The audience gasps and then starts applauding.

Susan looks surprised. "Really?" she asks in disbelief.

Paige is nodding her head. "Yes, I'm out and I'm proud."

The audience starts applauding again and this time it's louder. Wow, people in the fashion world really do like gay people, and I guess bisexual people as well.

"Paige this is very brave of you to tell us," Susan says.

Paige shrugs her shoulders. "Well I didn't want to keep it a secret because keeping it a secret would have made it seem like I'm ashamed of whom I am and I'm not. I spent many years debating with myself aboot labels and what people would think of me and finally I listened to the words of those closest to me and I stopped worrying aboot people and labels. If someone has a problem aboot who I love then that's their problem, not mine."

Wow, Paige is like on a roll right now. She is hitting this interview out of the park.

"So since you've confessed this to us I have to ask you something now," Susan says.

"Go ahead, ask me anything."

Susan leans over. "Is there a special someone in your life right now?"

Paige is smiling like hardcore right now. Like she's smiling so big I wouldn't be surprised if it's hurting her face. She's nodding her head.

"There is," she says. "I'm currently in a relationship with a woman that I love very much."

"Can you tell us who?" Susan asks.

"Actually she's here right now," Paige says. Paige points to the left, or the right, the way I'm watching it looks like she's pointing to the left.

The camera pans over to where Paige is pointing. There's Alex in all her glory. Wow she looks scared shitless right now.

"Come on over!" Susan calls to her.

Alex's eyes widen.

"Hon, come here," Paige says.

Alex hobbles over to Paige and Susan. The audience is applauding as Alex hobbles over to them. Paige stands up when Alex reaches her and takes Alex's hand into her own. Susan stands up as well.

"And who is this?" Susan asks excitedly.

"This is Alex," Paige introduces her. "My amazing, wonderful girlfriend."

Alex waves but it looks awkward because she waved using her broken arm.

"Well Alex it is very nice to meet you," Susan says. "You look a bit scared."

"Just a little bit," Alex says. "I didn't really expect to be on camera."

Susan chuckles. "Well you look fabulous so don't worry. How long have you two been dating?"

"Aboot two and a half months," Paige answers.

"I have to ask, how serious is it?"

Paige and Alex look at each other and smile. Alex pulls Paige in for a kiss. Wow, I guess they decided that if they're going to do this they might as well make it big. The audience is ooing and awing. Alex and Paige pull away from their kiss. Alex looks at Susan.

"Paige is the love of my life," Alex says. "I'm the luckiest woman in the world."

**Different Day:  
**So Paige and Alex are like the new lesbian poster couple. Move over Ellen and Portia because Paige and Alex have arrived. Although there are a lot of people out there who aren't really into fashion THAT much, like me, everyone soon learned about and saw the kiss between Alex and Paige when it went viral. Paige's coming out on _Fashion Talk_ actually has over 100,000 views and the kiss has over 500,000 views and it's only been two days. E! News even called Paige to get a quote from her. Most people would think coming out like that and then kissing your girlfriend would be a deal breaker but if anything Paige's popularity has sky rocketed. GLADD called the other day and told her that they want her to come to New York and give a speech about her struggles over her sexuality and how she overcame them. No offense, not to seem jealous or anything but Paige didn't really have any struggles. I mean yeah she had somewhat of an internal struggle with herself but that wasn't even that bad. I'm just saying.

Numerous fashion magazines have been calling her, wanting to set up an interview with her. Apparently some people might think that the Palex kiss was just a publicity stunt since Paige's new collection is about to come out. But a lot of people want to talk to her because apparently this is really big news in the fashion world. Apparently there aren't a lot of lesbian or bisexual fashion designers in the industry. Paige is becoming a role model and icon to many people. I'll admit that it's pretty cool.

I just got home from working on some promotional stuff for work. Can I just say that they do not pay me enough for all the work I do? Yeah… I go to the front door to find a box outside. It's addressed to Alex. Weird, after only two days and Alex is already getting presents from fans. She kisses Paige on television one time and all of the sudden she gets tons of email and presents yet I'm on the radio everyday and I get nothing, NOTHING.

I unlock the front door and walk into the condo. Beth's not here. She's at the animal shelter volunteering. I might as well take this present to Alex's room. I go upstairs and walk down the hallway to her room.

"Alex, you got a package," I say as I'm opening the door.

"AHHH!"

"AAHHHH!" I scream. OH MY GOD!

"AHHH!"

"AHHH!"

"CLOSE THE DOOR!"

I slam the door shut. Oh my God! I just say a naked Paige laid out on Alex's bed in some type of Playboy model pose. I have been scarred for life. Alex is quickly hobbling toward me.

"What's with all the screaming?" she asks.

I can't speak. I don't even know what to say. I just want someone to open my head and take away that memory from my brain. Alex's bedroom door slowly opens. Paige walks out in a robe. Alex looks at me and then at Paige and then back at me. Alex has a questioning look on her face.

"What just happened?" she asks.

I take a deep breath and breathe it out. "You," I say while pointing at Alex. "And you," I point at Paige. "Have twenty four hours to grab all your stuff and move it to your place."

"What happened?" Alex asks.

"I'm kicking you out!" I yell. "I was just scarred for life! It is time for YOU to move in with Paige! Just grab your things and go."

"Jor-"

"No, nu-uh," I interrupt Alex. "No more loud ass moaning at night. No more hearing the soundtrack of your sexy time." I shiver as my memory goes back to that night and many others like it. "And no more naked girlfriend just sitting on your bed in a Playboy model pose!"

Alex looks at Paige with her eyebrow raised. Paige is looking down at the floor."

"It… is time… for you… to move out," I tell Alex.

I'm walking away from them now.

"Jordan!" Alex calls out my name.

"Time for you to move out! That's the end of it!"

I need to take a shower, I feel dirty.  


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**A/N: Do you feel dirty? Jordan sure does feel dirty.**


	63. Everyone No One Knows Who You Are

**A/N: So this is like a filler. It's not because I'll be updating again probably tonight but it is because there's really no TRUE purpose to this chapter except to include Marco and Ellie and to show how big Palex's relationship has gotten in the public eye. Also I know very little about how and when sports do their signing and negations. just to let you know **

**-Updated on Dec. 30 at 9:34 pm EST**

**Disclamier:I do not own Degrassi or its characters but earlier today I went to target and now I own Grey's Anatomy season 6 on DVD! YES!  


* * *

**I've never had anyone ask me for my autograph before. I've never had anyone ask to take a picture with me. I've never hung out with anyone who has been asked for their autograph. I've never hung out with anyone who has been asked to take a picture with. Well I guess I can't say "never" anymore.

It's April the eighth which means in three weeks Paige's movie will be coming out and next week is the premiere. Paige has been doing promotions for it which you probably think is a bit weird because usually it's the stars of the movie that do the promoting but ever since the interview, on _Fashion Talk,_ Paige has been a hot commodity. The studio was quick to jump on the Palex band wagon. But believe me when I say that there is a line that Paige will not cross. Paige won't talk about work and her relationship with Alex in the same interview. She doesn't want people to think that she's using her bisexual status or her relationship with Alex to promote the movie. So in some interviews she'll strictly talk about the movie and her summer line or she'll strictly talk about coming out and sometimes her relationship with Alex. But before every interview Paige always talks to Alex first to talk about what she can discuss and what she can't. I have to say though that they're both taking everything pretty well.

Alex and I are walking through the mall right now. It's spring time which means it's time for new clothes. It's time for me to buy some board shorts. Alex is walking normally again and she no longer has the cast on her arm.

"Shouldn't you have gone spring shopping last month?" Alex asks.

"Nope," I tell her. "March was still slightly cold and I was busy doing other things."

"And I had to tag along why? You know how much I hate coming to the mall."

"Yeah but we haven't hung out in awhile. I mean I barely seen you anymore. When you're not at classes you're off with Paige doing interviews or something else with her."

"Well ya know you'd see me more often if you hadn't kicked me out," Alex points out.

"Oh shut up. You love living with Paige and not having to worry about me and Beth. I bet you two have been having sex all over the place."

"No comment."

I shiver. Memories from last month are coming back to me. I shouldn't have said anything.

"Why did we come all the way to Mississauga?" Alex asks. "We have like twenty malls in Toronto."

"Yes but none of those malls have a Hot Topic," I tell her, as we're walking into Hot Topic.

"I thought you needed shorts."

"I do. But first I want to look at some band tees."

Alex and I are looking at the giant wall of band tees. I've been feeling a bit uncool lately and I'm pretty sure it's because I haven't gotten a band tee in a really long time. Why am I hearing whispering behind us? I turn my head in the direction I think I'm hearing the noise from. There are two teenage girls looking and pointing at Alex. I wish I could say that this is the first time it's happened but then I'd be lying.

"Alex, don't look now but I think you have some fans in the store," I whisper.

Alex slightly turns her head. The girls quickly avert their eyes. Alex turns back and looks at me. We start laughing softly.

"Well let's not be rude," Alex says. "We should go say hi."

Alex and I both turn around. The girls are trying to pretend they weren't just looking at Alex. Alex and I walk over to them. They look nervous as hell.

"Hi," I greet them. "I'm Jordan.

"And I'm Alex," Alex introduces herself.

"Oh my God," one of the girls says.

The girl that spoke looks like someone who definitely wouldn't have come into Hot Topic back in the day, when the store was really dark. Not generalizing people, just saying. She reminds me of high school Paige. Preppy, perky, and someone who only shops at American Eagle. The second girl has gauged ears and a lip ring. Her hair is so bright red I can only guess that she dyed it that way. That and I can see her roots and they're brown. Which reminds me, I need to do something to my hair.

"We just wanted to come over and say hi," Alex says.

"I've seen you on TV," lip ring girl says. "With your girlfriend."

Alex is nodding her head. "Yeah, I've been in a few interviews with Paige. To be honest with you they're really not that fun."

"So you two are really dating?" American Eagle (AE) girl asks. "Like you're really dating THE Paige Michalchuk?"

"Alex I didn't know Paige had "The" in her name," I tell her. "When did she get that?"

"A few weeks ago," Alex says, playing along. "Didn't you get the memo?"

"Wait," lip ring starts. She's pointing at me. "Who are you?"

"Jordan Johnson," I tell her.

She's looking at me like she has no idea who I am.

"Jordan in the afternoon, on Hot 101.5."

Now they're both looking at me with the same look.

"Seriously?" I ask. "Does no one listen to the radio anymore?"

Alex is laughing. "I guess everyone is too busy listening to songs they actually want to hear on their ipods."

I narrow my eyes at Alex. "I just want to kick you right now."

"Wait, if you're dating Paige then why are you here with this girl?" AE asks. "Why aren't you with Paige?"

"Wow, your fans are really nosey," I tell Alex. I look at the girl. "I'm her sister. Don't worry Alex is very faithful to Paige. Believe me."

The girl looks relieved. Why is lip ring looking at me weirdly?

"Are you a lesbian too?" she asks.

"Why? Would that matter?"

The girl is shaking her head. "No, but are you?"

I smile. "Yes, yes I am," I answer. "I'm actually married to a wonderful woman." I hold up my ring finger.

Lip ring is nodding her head. "That's cool." She looks at Alex. "I think it's cool what your girlfriend did. I mean most girls like that wouldn't come out on national television. That was really cool."

"Thanks," Alex says. "I'll make sure to tell her that."

"So does Paige like make clothes for you?" AE asks. "Like does she design clothes specifically just for you?"

Believe it or not this is actually my first time ever hearing that question. I look at Alex with a questioning look on my face.

"Does she design clothes specifically just for you?" I ask.

Alex is chuckling and shaking her head. "No," she answers. "Although that would be pretty sweet, Paige doesn't make clothes for me. The clothes Paige designs are for everyone."

"I heard that in her last show the models were actually high school girls." AE says. "I heard she went to Degrassi and just had the students from there model her clothes for her show. Is that true?"

Alex and I are both nodding our heads. "We all use to go to Degrassi," I tell them.

"And Paige thinks that the people who are going to be wearing her clothes should model her clothes in her show. Regular models for regular people."

"That is so cool!" AE exclaims. "My friends are never going to believe that I met Paige Michalchuk's girlfriend! Can I take a picture with you?"

Alex blushes and smiles. "Umm…sure."

AE pulls a camera out of her purse and hands it to me. Alrighty I guess she doesn't want a picture with me then. I walk a few feet away from them to take the picture. Lip ring also gets into the picture.

"On the count of three," I tell them. "One…two…three."

All of them say cheese and I take the picture. Alex is saying goodbye to the girls .They're gone now. Alex turns around and smiles at me.

"How does it feel being known as Paige's girlfriend?" I ask her.

"Well it's better than being known as… Wait… That's right, no one knows who you are."

"Ha ha," I laugh sarcastically. "You're so funny."

You know what's not fair? Life! Life isn't fair. I've been working at this station for almost a year and no one knows who I am. I mean people at work know who I am but when it comes to the public I am no body. Lately I've been getting a lot of followers on Twitter. So of course I get excited because now I won't be tweeting to no one. A lot of people have been tweeting to me but most of their tweets are about Palex. Can you believe that? People are tweeting me just to find out more about Paige and Alex. I've been on the radio for almost a year now and no one knows who I am but Alex shares one little kiss with Paige on television and suddenly EVERYONE knows who she is. I'm not saying that I'm jealous… Ok maybe a little bit but come on! It's not fair!

I'm hanging out with Marco and Ellie at my place right now. I feel like I haven't hung out with them in a really long time. I feel like I have no idea what's going on in their lives. Ellie and Craig finally got together, but that was some time ago. To my knowledge the relationship is going strong. I know Marco has started teaching at Degrassi and he's not dating anyone. But that's all I know. I'm sitting in one of the armchairs in the living room while Ellie and Marco are sitting on the couch. Ellie is working on a Sudoku puzzle.

"I am so tired of being single," Marco groans and falls back on the couch.

"Oh it can't be that bad," Ellie says.

"Says the girl who's finally with the guy she's been pining over for for aboot five years. And Jordan don't you dare say anything. You're married!"

"Don't be mad at me for being married," I tell him. "You know what they say about lesbians. After the second date we move in together. Beth and I just waited a little after the second date to move in together." I smile, I just made a funny.

"Why can't I find the guy for me?" Marco asks.

"Well what are you looking for in a guy?"

"I want a guy who has a career, because I refuse to support myself and him with no help. Someone who is smart, funny, kind, athletic, has a great smile. Blue eyes are also a plus."

Ellie and I look up at each other. I'm pretty sure we're both thinking the same thing.

"So, I heard Dylan is back in town," I say out loud.

"Dylan?" Marco asks. He sits up and looks at me. "Why would you bring up **him **up?"

I shrug my shoulders. "I don't know. Maybe because he's in town, he and his agent are talking to Toronto Maple Leafs about signing a deal with them for next season and possibly five seasons after that."

"And Dylan is athletic and has blue eyes," Ellie points out.

"A lot of people are athletic and have blue eyes," Marco says defensively.

I look at Marco with a deadpan look. "How many people do you personally know that are athletic and have blue eyes?" I ask.

"Blue eyes are very common! And a lot of people are working out and watching their figures these days."

"Only aboot eight percent of the world has blue eyes," Ellie says, looking down at her Sudoku.

"Ok I'm not even going to ask how you know that," I tell Ellie. I turn back to Marco. "Listen I know you and Dylan have this long complicated love history but don't be like Paige and Alex. Don't wait years and years to confess what you're feeling. Don't wait for a car accident to bring you two together."

"I thought Alex was going to tell Paige she loved her before the car accident?" Marco asks.

"That is beside the point!" I tell him sternly. "The point is I am tired of hearing your whining. If you want to be with Dylan then be with Dylan. I mean we all know the reason why he's trying to sign a deal with Toronto. I mean let's be honest, Toronto is not the best in the league right now and they haven't been in awhile. With Dylan's talent he could probably join the Rangers or whatever. I don't know because I don't watch hockey but I do know that the only reason why someone as good as Dylan would join a sucky team would be if there's someone he loves in the city the team is in. That or he's gotten really bad or he has a bad attitude and no other team wants to sign him.

"Jordan has a point," Ellie says. She looks up at us. "I mean I don't follow sports or anything but I know the only reason why Craig is staying in Toronto is for me. I mean it'd probably be better for his career if he had stayed in L.A. But he decided to stay here and he tries to only tour for short amounts of time. And I love him for it."

I lean in from my seat, closer to Marco. "I already went through four years of dealing with two people who were madly in love with each other and not be with each other because they're were both too damn stupid and afraid. I don't want to go through that again. So for the love of God, Marco please just go to Dylan and be with him."

Marco's face is unreadable. "I have no idea what you guys are talking aboot," he says nonchalantly. "I was just telling you what I look for in a guy."

Ugh! I groan and fall back into the arm chair. He's hopeless.

"Can we move on?" Marco asks.

"You're the one who started the conversation with your whining," Ellie says and goes back to her puzzle.

"Well now I want to talk about tomorrow night's premiere. We are all invited right?"

"Of course we're invited," I tell him. "Paige did costumes on the movie so of course she got us tickets."

"Will we be walking the red carpet?" Marco asks excitedly.

"I don't know," I tell him. "This isn't like the other movie premieres we've been to. This one is like a BIG, HUGE motion picture movie. I'm surprise they're doing the premiere in Toronto and not Hollywood or New York."

"Well they did shoot it in Vancouver," Ellie says. "And it's a bit cheaper to do it here. Plus with all the press and publicity Paige has been getting recently the studio probably thought it'd be better to do it in the city where the now internationally known costume/fashion designer lives."

"Wow, Ellie you are always impressing me with your knowledge."

Ellie looks up from her puzzle. "I know many things," she says.

Why is Ellie looking at me like that? One of her eyes is squinting and her eyebrow is raised. She's freaking me out.

"Please stop looking at me like that," I tell her. "You're freaking me out."

Ellie starts laughing and so does Marco. It feels good to be hanging out with them again.

**Movie Premiere Night:**

"Why do I have to wear this?" I ask. "This isn't the first movie premiere I've ever been to ya know. I know how to dress."

"Yes but this is the first big motion picture movie you've been to," Beth says.

"The Jason Mewes movie was a motion picture movie."

"Yeah but there's already buzz aboot this one possibly being nominated for an Oscar next year."

"How is there already buzz about that and it's only April and no one has even seen the movie yet?"

"The movie industry is full of mystery."

I'm looking at myself in the mirror. I thought I'd only be wearing a dress on my wedding day but I guess not. I was forced into wearing this, threatened actually. Beth threatened to not have sex with me for two weeks if I didn't wear this dress. That was just cruel. Don't get me wrong it's a pretty dress, I mean Paige designed it herself but everyone knows that I don't do dresses.

"Are you ready?" Beth asks. "The limo is here."

I groan. There's no getting out of this now.

"Yeah, I'm ready."

**The Theater:**

I have to say that that was the most interesting limo ride I have ever experienced. Let me tell you who was in the limo. Me, Beth, Palex, Craige, Ellie, Marco, and… Dylan. Yes! Dylan Michalchuk was in the limo with us! Dylan kept trying to tell Marco about how he was in negotiations with the Maple Leafs and how he really missed him. I have a feeling that it's going to take a while for them to actually get back together.

We just arrived to the premiere. The driver opens the door for us and we all get out. Wow, now I have been to movie premieres before but not like this one. There are SOOOO many people here. There are fans, reporters, and some people I don't even know why they're here. We all walk to the entrance of the red carpet. Some chick with a head set steps in front of us.

"I'm sorry," she says. "But Miss Michalchuk only you and Miss Nuñez are authorized to walk the carpet. The rest of your guests will have to take the other entrance."

Wow, I kind of feel like a loser now.

"What do you mean they're not authorized?" Paige asks angrily. "They are my friends and my family. If they can't walk the carpet then I'm not walking the carpet."

Wow! I am to say that I am really impressed. The old Paige would have just said sorry and kept on walking. Paige has really matured. The lady is on her head set talking to someone. Ok now she's yelling into her headset. This is actually quite hilarious.

She looks at Paige and smiles. "Sorry for the mistake," she says. "You can all walk the carpet."

She steps out of the way. Yeah that's right! I'm walking the carpet. Reporters are calling out Paige's and Alex's name.

"I'm only taking pictures with my friends in them!" Paige tells the reporters.

That's right! We all get together and pose. I feel like a superstar!  


* * *

**A/N: About 9 chapters left. I think... REVIEWS ARE LOVE!**


	64. WHOA!

**A/N: So this chapter is unedited. Yep I am so tired right now I don't even feel like reading this whole thing again to catch my mistakes. I actually have a reason why this took me so long to type but I don't feel like typing up the reason. Lol**

**-Updated Dec. 31 2:01 am EST**

**Disclaimer: I have no ownage  
**

* * *

_Have yourself a merry little Christmas, let your heart be light. From now on, our troubles will be out of sight. Have yourself a merry little Christmas, make the Yule-tide gay._

_From now on, our troubles will be miles away._

It's Christmas TIIIIIIIIMMMMMMEEEE! IT'S CHRISTMAS TIME AGAIN! CHRISTMAS! Hello Christmas, how are you? How about we not have any car accidents this year? Thanks.

Life has changed a bit since April, when _Henry the Eighth _premiered. Palex are still going strong and so is their fan base. Seriously people love Paige and Alex, they're like the younger versions of Ellen and Portia, except that Alex isn't white but that's just a minor detail. They're considered one of the cutest lesbian couples in America and Canada and Paige is seen as a true role model for girls who are struggling with their sexuality. Alex is also an inspiration to me. Alex told her story about her past and her childhood and how because of her friends she was able to break away from the path that everyone thought she was on and become a successful college student. I will admit that the story brought a tear to my eye, especially since I was there for some of it.

_Henry the Eight _did GREAT in the box office not only in Canada but worldwide. The movie is actually nominated for four Golden Globes: Best Motion Picture- Drama, Best Actor- Motion Picture Drama, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Screenplay. There's even buzz about it being nominated for an Oscar. Oscar nominations won't be announced till the end of January though so I guess we'll see then.

So I have some AMAZING news. Marco and Dylan are together. Yep, it didn't take four years, thank God. Dylan and Marco got back together about two weeks after Dylan signed his five year contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs. After the first two games of the preseason Dylan held a press conference and told everyone that he's gay. Let me just say that when the Michalchuks have some news to share they do it big. Dylan is the first NHL player to come out of the closet while still in the league. I thought there might have been some backlash but his teammates accept him and it seems the fans don't really seem to care because thanks to Dylan the Maple Leafs are actually pretty decent again. Dylan, like his sister, has become a role model and inspiration to many.

Now you're probably wondering what Beth and I have been up to. Well we went to Vancouver to celebrate our first wedding anniversary and it was amazing. I'm still working the afternoon shift at Hot 101.5. There's a rumor that the morning show we currently have might soon end because the rating have been in the toilet for some time now and the guy in charge of the morning show is moving across the country. This is good news for me because my dream is to have my own morning show. I'm crossing my fingers. Beth is doing amazing in school. She's one of the top students and apparently her professors think that once she graduates and gets her license she'll have no trouble finding a job. Although both Beth and I work a lot we always find time for each other. Every Saturday morning, no matter what, we have breakfast in bed. It's a nice little ritual that I enjoy very much.

It's almost Christmas and I am VERY excited. We're actually going to be home this Christmas instead of a hospital room in New York. Beth and I have a plan for this Christmas because w have to be at so many places in one day. Beth, Palex, and I will spend Christmas morning at my parents' house. Then in the afternoon Beth and I will be at her parents' house to celebrate Christmas with them and Palex will be at Paige's house with her parents and Marco and Dylan. Then that night everyone will be at Beth and mine's place. When I mean everyone I mean, Beth, Palex, Marco, Dylan, Craig, Ellie, Jimmy, Trina (Jimmy's wife), and me. I know you're probably surprised by the Jimmy and Trina part because I haven't talked to Jimmy in such a long time. He's been at Law School in Boston and him and Trina actually got married years ago, something I feel bad about to knowing. But when I found out they were g be going to be in T.O. on Christmas I had to invite them over.

Today is Christmas Eve, probably the busiest Christmas shopping day in Canada because everyone is buying last minute gifts. Everyone accept for Alex and me that is. See Alex and I did our Christmas shopping on Black Friday. That's right, we went to the states to do our shopping. And people say Alex and I are crazy. Well who are the crazy ones now? Alex and I are just chilling at my place while Beth and Paige are out, probably shopping.

"How much money do you think Paige is probably spending?" I ask Alex.

Alex shrugs her shoulder. "I don't know. Paige had a very good year this year with her summer line being so successful and then she still has the line she does exclusively for Forever 21."

"True," I agree. "I hope Beth isn't spending too much."

"Why? Are you two having money troubles?" Alex asks me, concern in her voice.

I shake my head. "We couldn't have money problems even if we wanted to. Our parents would never allow it. Beth's dad is our personal accountant so he makes sure we're always good. I have my radio job, although my salary is only like $28,000, but I still have money from the internships I did over the summer during college and you know Mom and Dad. They would never let anything happen to me although I'm 23 years old and married."

"I think they feel guilty for pushing back the age for you to get your trust fund," Alex says.

"Well if they feel guilty then they should just let me have my trust fund," I tell her.

Alex shrugs her shoulders. "Can I ask you something?" Alex asks.

"Sure, go ahead."

"Have you been rich your whole life?"

"Well…not exactly. I mean I've always been well off but I didn't become "rich" till Mom married Dad. To make a long story short, I come from a family full of hard workers. Grandpa is an architect and has his own architecture firm, or whatever it's called. Grandma invented some African American hair care product. So that's where the money on Mom's side of the family comes from. Not to mention our great great grandfather on that side of the family was a stock broker in New York and sold all his stock before the mark crashed.

"When Mom divorced Jason, my biological dad, she got half of everything which was actually a lot because Jason's dad is a brain surgeon and his mom was a dentist and actually was a partner in a private dental care practice. When she died she left me $25,000 which went into my trust fund and Jason's dad sends me $100 every year on my birthday although I stopped talking to him the day Jason went to jail because Mom and I later found out that they knew Jason had always had anger issues but thought they would go away as he got older.

"Now Dad's side of the family is rich. Dad comes from a long line of lawyers which is funny since he's an insurance agent. And Grandma Johnson use to be head nurse of some hospital in Orlando. So have I always been rich? No not exactly. Have I always had money in my life? Yeah."

"So if you come from all this money yet you don't act like it. Why?"

I raise my eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that I've known some rich kids throughout my life and most of them are snotty, spoiled brats. But you're not. You're still driving the used car Mom and Dad got you five years ago. You had a job junior year and senior year of high school and you shop at thrift stores."

I shrug my shoulders. "I don't take money lightly," I tell her. "I come from a long line of hard workers and people who made sacrifices so I could have the life that I have now. Why buy a 2006 Ford Focus when it was exactly the same as the 2005, just more expensive? Why go to expensive stores and buy expensive clothing when I can go to the thrift store down the street and get cooler clothes for a cheaper price? You know what my dream is?"

"What?"

"My dream is to buy a red Ford Mustang convertible," I tell Alex. "I've been saving up for it for almost ten years now and I'm almost there. Now most people would ask, 'Why not ask your parents to buy it for you? Or why not use the money they give to you to buy it?' Because I want to earn this car on my own. I want to buy this car with my own money that I earned from working. I can't wait to finally have something that I can call **mine**. I mean don't get me wrong, I love Mom and Dad and I am so thankful for them financially supporting me for so many years but eventually I will have to support myself without their help."

"Wow," Alex says, sounding amazed. "You are amazing."

"No, I'm not. I'm just thankful and practical when it comes to money."

"I've learned so much from this conversation."

"Oh here's something else you probably don't know because neither I nor Mom have ever mentioned it. I'm actually part white. Well so is she but I guess a might be a tad bit whiter than her."

"Really? You are?"

I'm nodding my head. "Yep. Jason's mom was actually mixed because my great great grandfather on that side of the family was white. And on Mom's side our great great grandfather, the stock broker, was white. So I'm like… I don't really know how much white but I'm part white. That's why my skin is so light. If I was just black I'd be as dark as an African."

"I have learned so much from you today."

"Yep, you're welcome."

I turn on the television. Oo, _Wizards of Waverly Place _is on.

**Christmas:**

"Oh Christmas tree oh Christmas tree! …. Something something something Christmas tree."

"Wow, epic fail."

"Shut up Alex, you're in my home and I can sing however I want."

"Uh, this used to be my home too."

"Really? I know you two aren't bickering on Christmas," Beth says.

"Alex started it," I tell her.

"What are you five?" Alex asks. "Grow up."

Alex walks away to the kitchen. I'm sticking my tongue out at her.

It's Christmas night and at the moment Beth and Paige are cooking Christmas dinner. I have to say that this is probably my favorite Christmas of my whole life. Beth, Palex, and I spent Christmas morning at my parents' house where we exchanged gifts. Alex and I got Brian a Laker's jersey that Kobe Bryant signed himself. Brian nearly shit his pants when he saw it. All of us chipped in and got Mom concert ticket and backstage pass to see New Edition, her favorite music group of all time. That led to her screaming for five full minutes and then squeezing the life out of all of us. Major racked up this year. I'm pretty sure there's a rule somewhere saying how much a four year old can get for Christmas. He pretty much got everything that he asked Santa and then some. Alex and I got him about twenty baseball movies on DVD that he can watch on his portable DVD player that Paige bought him. Beth got Major some board game that will help teach him Spanish and Dora the Explorer on DVD. Mom got Major 100 hot wheel cars. He's obsessed with toy cars. Brian got him a mini basketball hoop, in hope that Major will forget about baseball and play basketball instead. Then together Mom and Brian got him his own television set with a DVD player in his room. Yeah, Major is definitely spoiled since he's the youngest.

After spending Christmas morning with my parents Beth and I went to her parents' house for the afternoon. We had lunch and exchanged gifts. Mr. Perez gave me Irish dance shoes. I hope this doesn't mean he wants me to learn the Irish jig. Mrs. Perez gave me her secret recipe to cook arepa, which is sort of like a filled tortilla but the way Mrs. Perez makes it makes me want to cry for joy each time I eat some. Simón gave me some cds and I gave him some new games for his Playstation 3. Beth and I got her mom something from Venazuela and Beth got her dad a plane ticket to go visit his parents in Calgary. Mr. and Mrs. Perez's gift to Beth is of course paying her tuition for Veterinary School. This is great present because that school is not cheap.

Now it's time for Christmas dinner at Beth and my place. Everyone is here. Most of them are in the living room watching television. Jimmy looks great. He's walking with the help of crutches and he looks good.

"Hey I need to talk to you," Alex whispers.

I don't know why she's whispering but ok.

"Ok," I tell her.

Alex and I go upstairs. She looks around, I guess to make sure no one followed us. I don't know she's acting weird. Alex pulls something out of her pocket. Oh it's a little black box. Wait, it's a little black box!

"Is there a ring in there?" I ask.

"Sh! God, don't be so loud. Yes there's a ring in here," she whispers.

"Would that ring be an engagement ring?"

Alex is smiling and nodding her head. "Yeah."

"Dude!" I whisper. "You're going to propose to Paige? Wait, it's not the same ring you were going to give to Sage is it?"

Alex narrows her eyes at me. "No," she says, offended. "I wouldn't do that ass. It's a different ring."

"Do you think it's a little too soon to propose?"

"I don't think so," she says. "I mean I know we've only officially been together for a year but I know how I feel aboot Paige and if last Christmas taught me anything it's that life is too short. We have to live it to the fullest."

"So are you going to propose to her tonight?"

"I don't know. Should I?"

I do the "I don't know" gesture. "I don't know. Do you want to propose to her tonight?"

"I wanted to propose to her last month when I got this ring. But I want it to be perfect. Like super romantic and all that crap."

"Ok, you calling it crap doesn't make it romantic. And you've had that thing with you for a month?"

Alex nods her head. "Yeah. Maybe I should wait."

"Hey it's up to you. I say do it when it feels right."

"Yeah, ok. Thanks Jordan."

"No problem. And Alex, I know she's going to say yes."

Alex sighs, sounding relieved. "Thanks I really needed to hear that."

Alex goes back downstairs and I'm right behind her. Alex goes into the kitchen and kisses Paige. Ladies and gentlemen we might be planning a Palex wedding soon.


	65. Next Time Call Me in the Afternoon

**A/N: So this chapter is short because it's setting up for the next chapter. Also in the last chapter I meant to write that Jordan's dream car is a red Ford Mustang convertible. Not a ford focus convertible. those don't even exist. lol!**

**-Updated on Dec. 31 at 11:18 am EST**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi or its characters but I do own three new video games =)  
**

* * *

It's January which means it's award season time. Yep that means for the next, I don't exactly know how long, but there will be a lot of award shows going on. The Golden Globes were actually last week and _Henry the Eighth_ won two: Best Supporting Actress and Best Screenplay. That was very big news and Paige was very happy. Paige feels that the costumes help the actors and actresses relate to their characters more. I guess I agree, sort of.

If you're wondering if Alex popped the big question, no she did not. Alex decided to wait for a perfect moment. I don't know when that perfect moment is going to be but I kind of hope it's soon. Oh and before I forget it's LEAP YEAR! That's right it's Leap Year. Which means the summer Olympics are this year, there's an extra day in February which means Black History Month is one day longer and the United States have their presidential election this year. I voted in the last one but I'm pretty sure I can't vote in this one. I'm currently in the process of becoming a Canadian citizen. See Mom and Brian are now Canadian-American citizens and I'm not exactly sure what Major is because he was born in Canada but at the time Mom and Brian were still American citizens so I know he's at least Canadian but I don't know if he's also American. And as you know of course Alex and Beth are both Canadian citizens since they were born here. I have to wait about another two years until I can apply for citizenship. Technically I'm still an immigrant but I am a permanent resident thanks to having my job at the station and being married to Beth. Immigration and becoming-a-citizen laws are really confusing.

o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O

Zzzzzzzz. Zzzzzzzz. Zzzzzzz. Zzzzzzzz. Hhhhaaaauuuwwwnnn. Wakey wakey Jordan. I feel fully rested after a good night's sleep. I love that feeling one gets when they wake up and they're not tired at all. I turn my body around. Aw, Beth always looks cute when she's sleeping. I brush back some hair that was in her face. Beth's eyes flutter open.

"I didn't wake you did I?" I whisper.

Beth smiles. "No, I was already kind of awake," she answers. "I was waiting for you to wake up."

Beth leans over to me and we share a morning kiss. Mmm, morning kisses. Surprisingly she does not have any morning breath. Beth pulls away and smiles at me.

"You never have morning breath," I point out.

"Isn't that a good thing?"

"Yeah, I'm just finding it amazing that you never have morning breath."

Beth leans in and whispers in my ear. "Want to know my secret?" she asks.

"Yes, please."

"On the mornings I don't have class I always wake up five minutes before you and I go brush my teeth." She pulls away and she's smiling.

"How do you know when I'm going to wake up?" I ask.

Beth shrugs her shoulders. "I don't," she says. "My body knows. I just always wake up five minutes before you."

"Obviously that means we're soul mates because our bodies are so in sync with each other," I tell her.

Beth giggles. "Yeah, I guess so."

Beth leans in and we start kissing again. There's nothing better than morning making out. I feel her tongue running along my lower lip asking for permission. I happily grant the permission by welcoming her tongue with mine. Mmm… I definitely hope this is going where I want it to go.

_I'm A Barbie Girl in the Barbie World.__Life in plastic, it's fantastic._

Beth pulls away. Noooo!

"Just ignore it," I tell her. "She can call back later."

I try to pull Beth back in. She pulls away. Ugh!

"It could be an emergency," she says.

"Or it could just be her interrupting our sexy time." I pout.

Beth crosses her arms. "Paige would only call this early in the morning if it was serious. Pick up the phone."

"Ugh!" I pick up my phone off my dresser and answer it. "If you aren't going to tell me that you or Alex are hurt then I hope you know I plan on hurting you," I tell Paige.

"I WAS NOMINATED!" Paige yells.

Ow! She just yelled right in my ear. I think I'm deaf in one ear now. I take the phone away from my ear.

"I WAS NOMINATED FOR AN OSCAR!" Paige yells.

Even with my phone a foot away from my ear she's still too loud. I bring the phone back to my ear.

"Yeah that's great," I tell her quickly. "Next time call me after noon. Talk to you later!"

I press the end call button. I look at Beth and smile at her suggestively.

"So where were we?" I ask.

"Did Paige just say she was nominated for an Oscar?" Beth asks.

"Yeah, nominated for an Oscar, whatever. I believe we were doing something before we were interrupted."

I lean back up and try to kiss Beth. DENIED! I just got the hand to my face. I can't ever win.

"We should go over there and congratulate her," Beth says.

"Can't we just send a quick text saying "Congratulations"?" I ask.

"Jordan this is big for Paige. And we always celebrate big news together."

"Ok how about first you and I have our own little celebration party and then we go over there and celebrate with them?"

Beth is shaking her head. "Nope," she answers. Beth hops out of the bed and walks into our bathroom. "Take a shower and get dressed."

I fall back onto the bed in defeat. "Can we at least take a shower together?"

Beth pops her head out. "Only if you hurry up," she tells me and winks.

I'm up! I'm up! I run to the bathroom. Maybe we'll be having sexy time after all.

o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O

If Paige wasn't big before now she's SUPER big. I think the whole fashion world knew about her Oscar nomination like five minutes after the nominations were announced. She was on _Fashion Talk_ like two days later. She always gives them an interview first, which is why they like her so much. I think she's supposed to go to New York for a couple of more interviews. I'm very proud of her and so is Alex.

Alex and I are my place right now. Paige and Beth went to New York for the weekend which is good for us because Alex is trying to plan when to propose to Paige.

"I have to do it soon." Alex tells me. "This ring is burning a hole in my pocket and I'm afraid Paige is going to find it any day now."

"Well like I said you pick the perfect moment," I tell her. "And even if it's not the "perfect" moment it'll be perfect because you'll be asking Paige to be your wife. That's big already. But if you do want to pick a "perfect" day I say ask her on a day that's maybe special to you two are special to her. A day that already means something to her and the proposal will just make it even more meaningful."

Alex is looking down at the floor, thinking. Alex brings her head up slowly. Wait why is she looking at me like that? She's smiling and it looks like she has a plan. I don't know if I'm going to like this plan.

"I think I have a plan," Alex says.

"Am I going to like this plan?"

Alex is nodding her head. "You are going to LOVE this plan," she says.

Alex tells me the plan. Oh my God, it's actually pretty good plan.

"You know Paige might be mad at you at first," I tell her.

"Yeah but she'll get over it once I get down on one knee. So you in?"

"Or I am so in."

Alex and I fist bump. Or this is definitely my favorite plan Alex has ever come up with because it involves lots of cameras, publicity for me, and hopefully me meeting some movie stars. Oh bring it on March 4th.

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**A/N: What's the plan? Hmmm...**


	66. Tonight Is Going to Be a Good Good Night

**A/N: So I honestly think I might not be able to post the rest of the story by midnight tonight because I still have to write it and like two of the chapters are really long and detailed. But I'll try my best!**

**-Updated on Dec. 31 at 1:30 pm EST  
**

**Disclaimer: No ownage on Degrassi or their characters.  


* * *

**_Flash! Flash! Flash!_

"Paige over here! Over here Paige!" photographers and reporters are calling out.

Paige turns, strikes a pose, and smiles. She turns to another photographer and does the same thing. Paige is in red carpet mode.

That's right, I'm on the red carpet. Paige and I are at the 84th Annual Academy Awards. Yeah, I'm Paige's date for the evening. Unfortunately Alex couldn't come because she has class tomorrow morning and it didn't make sense for her to be in L.A. Sunday night and have to be back in T.O. by Monday morning; at least that's what we told Paige. I'm so excited to be here though, I feel like a celebrity.

"Come on hon," Paige says. "We have to go talk to Seacrest."

Oh my God, I'm going to go talk to Ryan Seacrest? Holy shit. I follow Paige and her assistant, Kelly, to a platform. I help Paige up the stairs. We reach the top and Ryan Seacrest is standing right there waiting for her.

"And here's one of the nominees for Best Costume Design, Paige Michalchuk!" Ryan announces.

"Hi Ryan!" Paige greets him excitedly. They share a hug.

"I must say Paige, that you look amazing," Ryan tells her as the camera pans up and down. "Who are you wearing?"

"Well I hope this doesn't make me sound conceited or anything but I'm actually wearing myself," Paige tells him while smiling.

"If I had your talent I'd wear myself as well," Ryan says and chuckles. "Now I have to ask you something that everyone in American AND Canada is wondering: How is Miss Nuñez and how's the relationship going?"

Really, all Americans AND Canadians are wondering how Alex is? Ok, I need those people to get some lives. But it is cute and amazing how much Paige's face lights up at the mention of Alex's name.

"She's great and amazing," Paige answers. "We're amazing."

"Where is she?" he asks. "Unless she's in disguise and I don't see her."

"Unfortunately Lexi has classes very early tomorrow morning so she couldn't come with me but I'm not flying solo."

Wait, what is she doing? Why is she waving me over? Why is Ryan Seacrest waving me over now? I slowly walk over to them. I cannot throw up on national television.

"My best friend and Alex's sister, Jordan, came with me tonight," Paige tells Ryan and anyone who is watching this right now.

I'm looking at Ryan and I awkwardly wave at him.

"Hi," I greet him nervously. "I'm Jordan Johnson."

"Ryan Seacrest," he introduces himself.

Yeah, like I don't know who Ryan Seacrest is. He's the hardest working man in Hollywood.

"It's very nice to meet you," Ryan says. "Who are you wearing tonight?"

"I'm wearing a Paige Michalchuk original," I tell him confidently. "Made just for me."

"Jordan gets her own special clothes?" Ryan asks Paige.

Paige chuckles. "Only for special events like these hon," she tells him. "You see, Jordan despises dresses but she still wanted to look nice and elegant for tonight. So I designed a suit that would be elegant and girly, yet comfortable for Jordan to wear."

"Well it looks very nice," Ryan says. "Thank you so much for talking to me Paige and good luck tonight."

"Thank you hon," Paige says.

Paige and Ryan hug and Ryan and I shake hands. We're going back down the stairs now to the red carpet. Oh my God, it can't be! George Clooney?

"Oh my God!" I exclaim. "You're George Clooney!"

He chuckles. "Yes I am. And you are?"

"A big fan!" I tell him excitedly. "I loved you in _Ocean's Eleven_."

He whistles. "Wow, you just went back in time there."

"Mr. Clooney, Ryan is waiting for you," an assistant tells him.

"I have to go talk to Seacrest now," George Clooney tells me. "It was a pleasure meeting you."

He walks up to the platform to do his interview with Ryan Seacrest. Oh my God, that was George effin Clooney!

"That was George Clooney!" I point out to Paige excitedly.

Paige laughs. "Yeah hon, I saw," she says. Paige grabs my arm. "We need to get back to the carpet."

I follow Paige back to the crazy red carpet. The paparazzi and reporters are crazy here! It's amazing though how many people are interested in Paige. It's even more amazing how many people are still interested in the Palex relationship. I guess the famous _Fashion Talk_ interview and kiss is still fresh in everyone's minds. It also helps that both Paige and Alex did a PSA about acceptance and tolerance.

Seeing Paige work the red carpet is amazing. I've never seen her this confident before. She's so calm and relaxed when she's talking to reporters. I've been staying back, letting Paige shine but I've been in a few photos with her.

"Paige, Fashion Weekly wants to talk to you," Kelly tells her.

Paige smiles and grabs my hand. "Come on hon," she says. "Let's go talk to FW."

I follow Paige down the carpet to where Fashion Weekly is waiting for her. Let me just say that Fashion Weekly LOVES Paige. They love her because she's not like all the other designers out there. Paige isn't a stuck up bitch who thinks her designs are the best. Paige is constantly complementing other designers and she's really honest. Also Paige uses regular people for her show, seriously. Paige holds open casting calls for models for all her shows now. Although she has received some criticism about it a lot of people appreciate Paige using real "regular" people to model her clothes since her market is "regular" people. Also _Fashion Talk _and Fashion Weekly are like owned by the same people or something so when Paige doesn't do an exclusive interview with Susan on _Fashion Talk_ she'll talk to Fashion Weekly, especially if it's about a new line or collection coming out.

"Paige!" Susan, host of _Fashion Talk_ and a reporter for Fashion Weekly, greets Paige excitedly.

"Hi Susan!" Paige greets her back. The two share a hug.

"You look fabulous!" Susan tells Paige. "Who are you wearing?"

"I'm actually wearing myself," Paige answers. "I figured that maybe my own dress would be able to give me some good luck."

"Well it looks great. So I must ask about the new collection rumor that's going around. Is it true that you're already starting to work on a new collection that's neither fall/winter nor spring/summer? If so can you tell us anything about it?"

Paige is nodding her head. "Yes it is true that I'm working on a new collection and it is more of a year round wearing collection," she tells Susan. "The new collection is inspired by Alex and my friend Jordan. It's different from my other stuff because it's more on the tomboy side but it's still has some girlyness to it."

"Well we are certainly looking forward to that," Susan says excitedly. "Now I know you don't usually talk about your relationship and work in the same interview but can you tell us how Miss Nuñez is?"

What is up with everyone wondering how Alex is? I don't see any reporters asking me how I am. But then again I'm not the one dating a famous Oscar-nominated fashion designer.

Once again Paige's face lights up. "She's fantastic!" Paige gushes. "She's working hard in school which is why she couldn't be here today."

"I see that you brought Jordan as your date instead." Susan turns her attention to me. "Hello Jordan, I must say that you look fabulous."

I smile. "Thanks Susan. My suit is a Paige Michalchuk original, of course."

"Of course!" Susan agrees excitedly.

"Hey, it's time to go in," Kelly tells us.

"It was great talking to you Paige," Susan says. "Good luck tonight!"

"Thank you Susan!" Paige thanks her. "I'll talk to you soon."

"Bye Susan," I say goodbye to her.

I follow Paige and Kelly into the Nokia Theatre. Wow! This place is HUGE! And there are so many celebrities here. Oo I think I just saw Julia Robert! I'm going to have to try to get her autograph later for my mom. Paige and I follow the PA's instructions and find our seats. We're sitting by some of the producers of _Henry the Eighht_ and I think I might see Riley here as well.

The opening music starts and Tina Fey appears. Tina Fey performs her opening number and not only is it good, it's very funny.

**Later:**

Do you know how long it takes to get to Best Costume Design? FOREVER. Luckily they serve drinks during breaks. I've had three glasses of champagne but I'm done for the night because I would hate to embarrass Paige.

Why is everyone clapping right now? Oh, Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman are on stage. I guess it's time to present another award.

"In making a movie there are many important people including actors, directors, writers, and producers," Nicole Kidman starts.

"But we cannot forget about the people behind the scenes," Hugh Jackman says. "The people who help bring the story to life."

"Without these people most of us would just wear jeans and t-shirts in our movies," Nicole says.

"Well I wouldn't be wearing a shirt," Hugh says.

The audience laughs at Hugh's joke.

"The nominations for Best Costume Design are…"

"Sarah Cedergrove for _Mt. Vernon_." Sarah appears on the screen as everyone claps.

"Bridget Hansel for _Reformation_." Bridget appears on the screen as everyone claps.

"Julia Rodriguez for _The Spanish Armada_." Julia appears on the screen as everyone claps.

"Christina Edwards for _Tomorrow, Someday_." Christina appears on the screen as everyone claps.

"And Paige Michalchuk for _Henry the Eighth_."

Paige appears on the screen as everyone starts clapping. I'm clapping my hands very loudly and I'm hollering for Paige. Paige is clearly embarrassed and you can tell because her face is still on the screen with the other nominees. Paige grabs my hands and stops my clapping. I'm smiling like a little kid.

"And the Academy Award goes to…" Nicole opens the envelope and shows the name to Hugh.

"Paige Michalchuk!" Hugh announces.

Oh my God! Paige won! Paige won! The audience is clapping and Paige is just sitting here in shock and disbelief.

"Paige!" I yell. "You won!"

Paige jumps up and now we're hugging. Yay! Yay! I move out of Paige's way so she can go to the stage. Oh my God, I can't believe this. Paige makes her way to the stage as I'm and the rest of the cast and crew of _Henry the Eight _are still clapping our hands. Paige is slightly crying. Hugh hands Paige the Oscar statue. Hugh and Nicole move to the side so Paige can make her speech.

"Oh my God," Paige says into the microphone. "I don't even know what to say because I don't have a speech prepared. I really didn't think I was going to win. I guess I owe my girlfriend $20 now."

The audience chuckles. But seriously, Paige does owe Alex $20 now. Alex bet Paige that she would win. I told Paige to have a speech ready, just sayin'.

"First I'd like to thank the Academy for this reward. I'd also like to thank Peter Kalm for bringing me onto this great project and Riley Spearritt for taking my designs that day without my permission and showing them to the director of the movie."

The audience laughs.

"I'd like to thank the director, Robert Massey, and the producers for allowing me to have as much creative freedom as I wanted. Thanks to all the actors on set for being open about the designs. To my friends and family, thank you for ALWAYS being there for me and encouraging me every step of the way. Thank you to Rebecca James for taking me under your wings and helping make my dreams come true. And last, but DEFINITELY not least, to my AMAZING girlfriend Alex." Paige is looking straight into the camera now. "Alex without your love and support I don't know where I would be right now. I love you so much and I can't wait to get back home to T.O. to show you this wonderful statue. Thank you everyone again."

I'm standing up and clapping and hollering. I am so proud of Paige and so happy for her. I'm so happy for her. I'm still clapping as Paige is walking backstage. I feel a buzzing in my pants. Oh get your head out of the gutter! The buzzing is from my phone. I pull out my phone and I have a text from Alex.

_I'm dating an Academy Award winner =)_

_ I know. Are you ready for tonight?_

_ As ready as I'll ever be._

_ Ok, see you later._

I place my cell phone back into my pocket. Paige won the Oscar and Alex has a surprise for her. Tonight is definitely going to be a night to remember.


	67. The Question

**A/N: So I have some news for y'all. The only way I'm going to finish this story before midnight tonight is if I rush and I don't want to do that. Rushing leads me to writing poorly and you guys don't deserve that and neither do the characters. So now my deadline for this story will be January 2. I just wanted y'all to know that. And yes this chapter is super short but it's sweet and to the point.**

**-Updated on Dec. 31 at 4:41 pm EST**

**Disclaimer: I on nothing except for Jordan.  


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**I'm tired, exhausted, and pooped. Wait, did I really just say "pooped"? Yeah, well that's how I feel. After the awards ceremony it was time for interviews. As Paige's "date" I had to go with her to each interview and as a young first time winner a lot of people wanted to interview her. A few of the interviewers asked me questions, which was nice. Paige was even invited to do Best and Worst Dress with some of the E! people.

After the interviews it was time for some after parties. Some of the Oscar after parties were kind of classy. Well, as classy as an after party can be. Paige and I are in the limo right now on our way back to the hotel. She's holding her award, smiling at it.

"I'm so proud of you Paige," I tell her proudly.

"Thanks hon," she says. "This really means a lot to me. I just can't believe it." She's turning her statue around, staring at it in awe.

"Well you're very talented and the academy saw that," I tell her. "They saw in you what your friends and family have always seen in you. Greatness, pure greatness."

Paige takes my hand and squeezes it. "I couldn't have done this without you or everyone else."

I shrug my shoulders. "I know," I say nonchalantly.

Paige playfully pushes me. "You're so cocky hon," she says while laughing.

The limo stops in front of our hotel. The limo driver helps us out of the car and wishes us a goodnight.

I yawn and stretch out my arms. "I'm beat," I tell Paige while we're walking to our suite. "I can't wait to go to sleep."

"I'm wide awake," Paige says.

"Probably because you're still high off of your win. If I had just won an Oscar I'd be wide awake too."

We reach our suite door and I pull out the key card.

"I can't wait to go home tomorrow and see Lexie," Paige says excitedly.

"You're not going to have to wait much longer."

I swipe the key card and open the door. I let Paige enter the room before me.

"Oh my God," Paige gasps.

I enter the room. WOWZERS! There are candles all over the room, creating an eerie glow but a romantic atmosphere. There are rose petals all over the floor. I swear I told this girl to do this in Paige's bedroom, not the suite living room, but whatever. Speak of the devil, Alex appears in the red dress Paige got her so many years ago.

"Alex?" Paige is extremely surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here for you Michalchuk," Alex answers and smiles. Alex takes Paige's hands into her own hand while keeping her other hand behind her back. "Paige Michalchuk you are amazing," she tells Paige. "You're strong, caring, loving, and absolutely wonderful. We've been through so much throughout the years but somehow we came out together at the end. I'm ready to face any of life's challenges as long as you're by my side."

Paige has her hand over her mouth. She's like really shocked right now.

"I wanted to do this properly by I have now realized how hard it would be for me to get down on one knee in this dress," Alex says laughs.

"Yes!" Paige blurts out.

Alex raises her eyebrow. "I haven't asked you anything yet."

"Ok, well then go ahead," Paige says quickly.

Alex laughs. Alex brings her hand around from her back and opens the black ring box.

"Paige Michalchuk," she starts. "Will you marry me?"

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" Paige screams while jumping up and down.

Alex puts the ring on Paige's finger. Paige instantly wraps her arms around Alex and now they're kissing. Yay Palex is getting married. Woo!

"Ok, I'm going to bed now," I announce. "Try not to make too much noise."

They're still kissing, not even paying any attention to me. Why do I even bother? Well looks like we have a wedding to plan. Oh Lord…  


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**A/N: How is Paige going to act when it comes to planning her own wedding?**


	68. I'm Not a Wedding Planner!

**A/N: So I just want to apologize for my three week hiatus. After doing like over twenty updates in one week my brain kinda fried and I had a bit of writer's block but I'm back! And this story will be done by Sunday night because classes start Monday. also the sooner I finish this the sooner I can give y'all your surprise! =)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi or any of it's characters. Some of these establishments mentioned in this story are real places and by puting them in my story I'm actually giving them free publicity. The descriptions that I wrote in this story are from their websites.  


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**When Beth and I were getting married we had three months to plan the wedding and reception. Our wedding planner was Paige and not once did Beth ever lose her cool. Paige and Alex are getting married in April… of next year. Yeah, Paige wanted to get married in the spring but she wanted enough time to plan her fairy tale wedding so now we have a year and some change to plan this thing. Yes, I said "we". Somehow I got roped into being part of the wedding planning party.

I'm currently at Palex's place right now. I'm wasting away my Saturday helping Paige plan this wedding. Beth is currently at the animal hospital while Alex is at her Saturday class. We're in the living room and Paige has her laptop open to a thousand website and has a spread sheet up, there are papers all over the place, and I just want to go home and watch _Glee_.

"Jordan did you call Americana?" Paige asks me.

"Yes," I groan.

"Did you call the bakery to set up a taste testing time for Alex and me?"

"Yes…"

"What aboot Bella's Floral Boutique? We need to talk to them aboot which flowers will be in season and which ones would look nice in that area."

"I called them like an hour ago. Jeez…"

"Did you call the dress place to confirm my dress fitting?"

"…"

"Jordan…" Paige turns and looks at me. "You did call Belinda's Brides right?"

"Umm… I think I might have forgotten that one while calling all the other places." I say quietly.

"Jordan!"

"What! I don't understand why you just don't design your own dress. You designed Beth's dress! I would think that you'd like to design your own. Brooke Davis designed her own dress."

Paige is looking at me as if I'm crazy. "Ok number one, stop comparing my life to _One Tree Hill_. Number two, I cannot design my wedding dress. I have to go to a dress shop and try on numerous dresses till I find the right one. It's like a ritual for all brides-to-be."

A ritual? Did she really just say a 'ritual'? Does she even know what that word means because I don't think she's using it in the right context?

"I think you mean to say that shopping for a dress is more of a rite of passage than a ritual, because a ritual is any practice or pattern of behavior regularly performed in a set manner and since you don't regularly go wedding dress shopping-"

"Jordan," Paige interrupts. "Please stop talking. Just call them, please."

"Can I just point out that I am not the wedding planning type? As I recall you and Beth planned most of our wedding. All I did was contribute the flowers, food, and the music. Oo if you want DJ Incredible I can totally call him up." I'm smiling from ear to ear.

"Really Jordan really? DJ Incredible?"

"What? He did do the music at my wedding. Plus he's a great guy who'll give us a discount. Family friend and he DJed two important events in my life. It's like he's a part of the family."

Why is Paige pointing her pen at me threateningly? I do not enjoy having a pen pointed at me threateningly. What if she throws the pen at me? I quickly put my hands up to my neck. Just in case she does throw the pen my hands will protect my neck.

"I will not have some DJ playing at my wedding reception," Paige says seriously. "I will have a live band. A live band playing AMAZING music."

"Um Top 40 is amazing music."

"I will not have Ke$ha playing at MY wedding!"

Wow. Um… Yeah, I'm going to need someone to relax.

"I think someone just needs to calm down and relax," I tell Paige in a calm quiet voice. "You just need to breathe and relax." I take a deep breath in and exhale it, hoping Paige will get the message.

"How can I relax when there's all this planning I need to do?"

"Because you have over a year to plan this thing. Beth and I only had three months and we stayed calm."

"That's because YOU didn't do anything! Beth and I did EVERYTHING!"

Ok, a stressed Paige is a very mean Paige. I hear the front door open and Alex and Beth walk into the living room.

"You need to tell your crazy fiancé to calm the hell down," I tell Alex.

Alex sits down beside Paige and puts her hand on Paige's knee. Beth sits down beside me. It looks like she's about to pass out.

Alex raises her eyebrow and looks at Paige. "What is Jordan talking aboot?" she asks Paige.

"I clearly told Jordan to call Belinda's Brides to set up an appointment so I can try on dresses and she didn't call them," Paige tells Alex. "The dress is the most important part of the wedding hon!"

Ugh, I hate when Paige whines. It's like nails on a chalkboard to my ears.

"Paigey the most important part of the wedding is you and me," Alex tells her.

"I know that Lexie but there's also important factors that go into a wedding. I mean if you and I were solely the only important things aboot the wedding then we could go to the court house right now and get married."

I lean up and open my mouth to say something.

"Don't even think aboot it Jordan," Beth says.

"How did you know I was going to say anything?" I turn around and ask her.

Beth sighs. "Because I know you and this would be the perfect moment for you to say something incredibly stupid."

I smile. "Aw, you know me so well."

I lean into Beth and we share a kiss.

"And then she suggested we use DJ Incredible for the reception," Paige continues with her complaining.

"Well DJ Incredible is a family friend and he's an awesome DJ," Alex points out.

I clap my hands. "Thank you," I thank Alex.

Beth pulls me back. She's shaking her head out me. "Shh," she tells me. "Just stay out of it."

"Lexie I want a live band," Paige says. "I know DJ Incredible is a nice guy and a good DJ and what not but Top 40 isn't what should be played at our wedding reception. We need classy sophisticated music."

"Why?" Alex asks. "Why not have Top 40 music? I mean the wedding reception is the party after all the serious stuff. We're supposed to have fun at the reception. We can have classy sophisticated music during the ceremony and then party music at the reception."

"Exactly!" I agree with Alex with enthusiasm.

Ok, maybe that wasn't a good thing to do because now Paige is giving me the evil eye.

"Told you to stay out of it," Beth whispers to me.

Paige looks at Alex and me. "I can't believe either of you," she says. "This day is going to be the most important day of my life and everything has to be perfect! It's like I'm the only one who is taking this seriously!"

Paige suddenly stands up and leaves the living room. Alex sighs and falls backs into the couch.

"I thought a long engagement would be a good idea," Alex says. "I agreed to have this wedding next spring because I figured with all this time Paige would be able to do what she wants without freaking out."

"And it's only been a month and you have over a year left and she's already turned into bridezilla," I say.

"Well maybe if you would help her a little more…" Beth starts.

I turn to look at her. "I know you are not about to take Paige's side on this," I tell her. "I don't know why Paige has **me** helping her anyway. I mean we all know that I'm not exactly the ideal candidate to help when it comes to a serious formal event. Ask me to plan a fantastic birthday bash, I can do that. Ask me to plan a wedding and I'll turn around and leave the room."

"Well I wish I could help but I'm swamped with school work," Beth says. "This year is kicking my ass. Plus volunteering at the animal hospital pretty much takes up any free time that I have."

I turn to Alex. "Why don't you just hire a professional wedding planner to help Paige out?" I ask her.

"I told Paige that we could do that but she said no," Alex answers. "She insisted that she could do this with the help of her friends."

I sigh. Ugh, this is just becoming a great big stressful event.

"Jordan, just use some of your party planning skills to help plan for a wedding," Beth says.

"Ok here's what I can do," I start. "I can make a few calls to get an amazing band, a band that will give Paige what she wants but will also make the reception fun. I can't really do more than that because I do have a job."

"Well as soon as school lets out I can contribute more," Alex says. "I mean it is my wedding as well."

I turn to Beth. "And what are you going to do?" I ask her.

"I'm going to try to keep Paige from killing you and vice versa," she says.

I clap my hands. "Alright, sounds like a plan!"

Spring time is here! My favorite season of the year! Here and year rhyme. Ha ha, I'm a poet. My life has been quite hectic these past couple of months. I'm still helping Paige with the wedding planning which is quite exhausting. I mean between my actual job and helping Paige plan, I rarely have any free time. Beth has been busy with school and work. We barely get to see each other anymore. I mean the only time we really get to see each other is at the end of the night when we're getting ready for bed, and by then neither one of us really have enough energy to participate in any nighttime activities, if ya get what I'm saying.

I'm so tired I called in sick to work today. Yeah, I had to use a sick day. I didn't want to do it but I need sleep, seriously. Wait, why did I just hear my front door open? Beth is at the animal hospital and I know Alex is at class. I get out of my bed and reach for the bat underneath the bed. I hear the stranger coming up the stairs. Ok, I need to swing this bat like there's no tomorrow. I hear the person getting closer to the door. Alright Jordan, get ready. The bedroom door opens.

"Ahhh!" I scream and life the bat over my head.

"AHHH!" the person screams. "Jordan don't hit me!"

I stop myself from swinging the bat. In front of me is a very scared looking Paige. I groan and put the bat down.

"Paige, how did you get into my house?" I ask her.

Paige is jingling a key in front of her face. "I have a key hon," she answers.

I narrow my eyes at her. "That's for emergencies. Any other time you need to call ahead. Besides, what are you doing here? And how did you even know I'd be home?"

"Beth told me you called in sick to work today," Paige answers.

Someone remind me to reprimand my wife later.

"Besides I thought today would be the perfect day for a road trip."

Nu-uh, no way. There is no way in hell I'm getting in to a car with Paige Michalchuk. I'm shaking my head.

"Paige there's a reason why I called in sick today," I tell her. I cough a fake cough. "I'm sick."

Paige rolls her eyes. "No you're not hon," Paige says. "You don't get sick."

I cough a fake cough again. "Yes I do. Everyone gets sick."

Paige puts her hand on my forehead. I quickly push her hand away.

"Well you don't have a temperature," she says. "Also Jordan, everyone knows you don't get sick. You haven't been sick in two years, and even then that was just a cold. So get dress. We need to leave in aboot twenty minutes."

I groan and stomp my feet like a little kid with a temper tantrum. "But I don't wanna!" I whine.

"Hon you shouldn't whine," Paige says. "It's quite annoying. I'll meet you downstairs." She walks out of the room.

"You're quite annoying," I mutter. Ugh, I guess I'm going on a road trip with Paige. Lord, please help me.

**Later:**

Do you know what it is like to be stuck in a car with Paige Michalchuk for an extended period of time? IT'S PURE TORTURE! All she either wants to do is talk about the wedding or when she plays music she just sings along to it. And no offense to Paige, ok never mind, total offense to Paige she's not that great of a singer. It especially doesn't help when the only music she's playing in the car is Taylor Swift. I know! I didn't think Paige was a huge T Swift fan either but apparently she is.

I've been in this death trap for a little over an hour now and I still don't know where we're going.

"Paige, where are we going?" I ask her, for the twentieth time.

"Hon, just relax and enjoy the ride," she tells me. "We'll be to our destination soon enough."

"Ugh, fine," I groan.

I press my forehead against the window, just staring out into the road. I can't believe I'm in this car right now. This impromptu road trip probably has something to do with the wedding. This Palex wedding is taking up more of my life than my own wedding did. Oo, sign about to come up. Forty five kilometers to Niagara Falls. Wait, she didn't… I turn my head and look at Paige.

"Are we going to Niagara Falls?" I ask her.

"Surprise!" Paige exclaims with a smile on her face.

"You practically kidnapped me to bring me to Niagara Falls?"

"I didn't kidnap you, you willingly came with me."

I begin knocking my head into the window. I-hate-my-life.

**Later:**

We have arrived in the beautiful Niagara Falls. I'm tired, I'm thirsty, I'm hungry, but most of all I want to do is go home. Paige pulls up into a parking lot in front of a hotel. Why are we at a hotel? Ya know if it wasn't for the fact that I know Paige loves Alex so much I would find this highly suspicious. Paige gets out of the car and I follow her. I see the hotel sign, _Americana Conference Resort and Spa._ Why does this place sound familiar? Oh wait a minute! This place was on the list of places I had to call for Paige.

"Paige!" I call after her. "Are we in Niagara Falls on wedding business?"

Paige is nodding her head. "Of course hon," she answers nonchalantly. "Why else would we be in Niagara Falls?"

"You do know that your wedding is in a year right?"

Paige turns around and looks at me. "Jordan, do you know what one of the most important aspects of wedding planning is?" she asks seriously.

"No, but I know you're going to tell me."

"**Planning**," Paige says. "There's no wedding without some planning, and the best type of planning is planning ahead. That way we have enough time to fix something if something goes wrong. Besides when it comes to wedding venues that are NOT football fields you usually have to book them a year before the wedding."

Was she just hating on my football field wedding? Can I please remind everyone that having the wedding at Degrassi was Beth's idea, not mine? I follow Paige into the hotel. We walk up to the check in desk. The receptionist looks up and smiles. Her name tag tells me that her name is Karley.

"Hello, welcome to the Americana Conference Resort and Spa," Karley greets us. "How may I help you?"

"Hi, my name is Paige Michalchuk," Paige introduces herself. "I'm here to meet with Mr. Drew Wiley."

Karley's eyes widen when Paige said her name. Uh no, not another one.

"Are you THE Paige Michalchuk?" Karley ask. "The fashion designer who won an Oscar earlier this year?"

I turn my head to Paige. "Why do you get a "the" in front of your name?" I ask. "I find that very unfair."

Paige looks at me. "Be quiet hon," she says. Paige turns her head back to the receptionist and smiles. "Yep, that's me. Can you call Mr. Wiley for me please?"

Karley nods her head. "Of course!" she says excitedly.

Karley calls Mr. Wiley on the hotel phone. A man comes out from an office behind the desk. This guy looks like he could be the same age as Brian except he doesn't have any graying hair, unlike Brian. The guy is dressed very professionally and he has a smile on his face. He comes from around the desk and walks over to Paige and me.

"Hello, I'm Drew Wiley," he introduces himself to us with his hand out to us.

Paige shakes his head. "Paige Michalchuk," Paige introduces herself and shakes Mr. Wiley's hand.

"Jordan Johnson-Perez," I introduce myself and shake Mr. Wiley's hand.

"It is a pleasure to meet the both of you." Mr. Wiley claps his hands. "So I hear that you are looking for a venue for your wedding. Am I correct?"

Paige is nodding her head enthusiastically. "Yes, you are correct," she tells him. "My fiancé and I would are looking for the perfect venue to get married at."

"Well you two have picked the perfect place," Mr. Wiley says happily.

Wait, does he think?

"Uh no," I tell him. "I'm not her fiancé. I'm her fiancé's sister."

"Oh, I apologize greatly," Mr. Wiley started. "I just thought…"

"Dude, it's ok," I tell him before he has a heart attack or something. "If I was in your position I might have thought the same thing as well."

"My fiancé is currently busy with school at the moment so I decided to come here to check out the place and if I like what I see then I'll go ahead and put down a deposit and then bring her out here later."

"Alrighty then" Mr. Wiley says. "Well first things first, were you thinking of having both the ceremony and reception here or just the reception?"

"Both," Paige answers.

"Ok, did you want outdoor or indoor?"

"The wedding outside and the reception inside."

"Ok, then please follow me."

**Later:**

Ok, now I know how big my side of the family is and I'm pretty sure I know how big Alex's circle of friends is. I'm pretty sure Alex and Paige both share most of the same friends. Now I'm not quite sure how big Paige's side of the family is but I can't imagine it being too big. So I'm trying to understand why I'm standing in a reception hall right now that can fit hindreds and hundreds of people.

"This is the Grande Ballroom," Mr. Wiley tells us.

This room is so huge that his voice is still echoing. I'm just looking around and I can't believe this right now. There are disco balls hanging over our heads as we're standing on the very long dance floor.

"If you use one hundred percent of the room you can fit aboot 750 people in here," Mr. Wiley tells us.

Oh shit! "750 people?" I exclaim. "Paige, do you and Alex even know 750 people?"

"Hon, I have like over 3,000 friends on facebook," Paige tells me.

"And how many of those people do you actually **know**?"

"Working in the fashion world is all aboot who you know."

I cross my arms. "Paige I'm pretty sure Alex wouldn't want 750 people at your wedding."

"They wouldn't all have to be at the ceremony, just the reception. Let's face it, most people don't even go to the actual ceremony, they go to the reception."

"So you mean to tell me that you expect 750 people to come to the reception?"

"Well there's your family, my family, Alex's friends, my friends,-"

"Most of Alex's friends are your friends too!" I uncross my arms and sigh. "All I'm saying is that you might not need ballroom this huge."

"Well we have to be prepared just in case."

"Just in case a natural disaster happens apparently," I mutter to myself.

"I really like this place," Paige tells me. "And you saw the outside where the ceremony would take place. It's beautiful out there. I think Lexie would also like this place."

"Ugh, fine," I give in. "Take a picture and send it to Alex."

Paige pulls out her phone and takes a picture. Mr. Wiley loudly claps his hands to get out attention and he's smiling. I don't like a person who smiles too much. It sort of freaks me out.

"Shall we go back to my office and discuss wedding packages?" he asks.

Paige smiles and nods her head. "Of course!"

I groan and trudge behind them to Mr. Wiley's office. Can this day just be over already?

**Much Much Later:**

_On the road again__, j__ust can't wait to get on the road again. The life I love is making music with my friends__and I can't wait to get on the road again.__  
_I don't know what the hell Willie Nelson was talking about. I'd rather be at home right now than on the road. I thought after checking out the hotel we'd go back home but nope, I guess that would just be too much to ask for. We're driving to a new destination now. Paige pulls up in front of a flower shop. The torturing never ends.

"Once again I feel like this is a place that Alex should be at with you, not me," I tell Paige.

"Well Lexie is focusing on her studies and seeing as you're her best friend and sister and you're one of my best friends this is the perfect place for you to be at," Paige tells me and smiles.

I really want to wipe that smile off her faceright now. Paige gets out of the car and I do the same thing. I follow Paige into the flower shop. Whoa, a lot of smells just hit me all at once. I'm looking around and there're colors everywhere. It's like a rainbow in here, no make that a double rainbow. There're all sorts of flowers in here that I don't even know the names of. But then again I also know the names to like five flowers.

"Hello!" Paige calls out. "Is anyone here?"

"I'm here!" a voice sings out.

I see arms in the air but I don't see the body that is attached to the arms. Never mind, now I see the lady. A middle-aged woman with a smile on her face is approaching us.

"Hello!" she greets us. "Welcome to Bella's Floral Boutique. How may I help you today?"

"Hi, I'm Paige Michalchuk," Paige introduces herself. "We spoke earlier on the phone."

The woman's face lights up. "Yes I remember you! Well I'm Hannah and I am very happy to help you today. You're getting married next year in the spring correct?"

Paige smiles and nods her head. "That's right! I saw your website online and I just had to come here. My wedding will be taking place in town and I've heard great things about your establishment."

"Thank you." Hannah looks at me. "And you are?"

I stretch my hand out to Hannah. "I'm Jordan, a friend of Paige's," I tell her.

"You're here to help her out I see."

"Yeah… Something like that."

Hannah turns her attention back to Paige. "Well, Miss Michalchuk as you can see we have a wide variety of flowers here and I think you have chosen the perfect time to come. We have out here most of our spring flower arrangements. Do you have in mind what kind of flowers you want at the wedding or reception?"

"Well I'm going for a nice soft look for the wedding," Paige says. "I would like something beautiful but not too extravagant. I don't want my guests to only focus on the flowers."

Hannah nods her head. "Very understandable. Do you have any sort of color scheme?"

"Well I really like pink."

I think I'm going to barf.

"What does your fiancé think of a pink wedding?" Hannah asks.

"My fiancé said I could have anything I want," Paige says and smiles.

Of course Alex said that. Alex wouldn't dare say anything to oppose Paige's wishes; she's not stupid or suicidal.

"Well first I'll show you our Passionate Pink Garden Arrangement," Hannah tells us.

Hannah starts walking through the flower jungle and Paige and I follow her. It's a very good thing I don't have allergies or anything or else I'd be sneezing a lot right now. We stop walking and Hannah is pointing to a flower arrangement that has A LOT of pink in it.

"This is the Passionate Pink Garden Arrangement," Hannah says. "It includes lush pink, light pink and hot pink blooms including oriental lilies, matsumoto asters, roses and peonies are accented with variegated ivy and rich green sala. The pink peonies, roses, lilies and asters are a feminine, awe-inspiring tribute to the beauty of nature and true love. It is perfect for an outdoor wedding."

Paige is studying the arrangement. "It's really beautiful," she says.

"There's A LOT of pink going on," I point out. "Paige I know you love pink but you know Alex isn't exactly "yay pink" and THIS is a lot of pink."

"Well we have other beautiful arrangements that have a little less pink," Hannah tells us.

We walk a few feet and stop in front of another arrangement.

"This is the Jumping for Joy arrangement," Hannah tells us.

Oh my God, I could really go for some cotton candy right now. I'm totally having a sugar craving right now. Focus Jordan, focus! I'm looking at an arrangement that has a little less pink in it, some purple, and that's either red or some other form of pink.

"This arrangement includes pink spray roses, light pink alstroemeria, hot pink miniature carnations, lavender stock and salal," Hannah tells us.

"I don't know if I like this one as much," Paige says.

I shrug my shoulders. "I kind of like it," I tell her.

Paige turns and looks at me. "I think you would say that aboot anything just to get out of here."

I gasp dramatically. "That's not true!" I exclaim. "I want to help you find the perfect flowers for the wedding. After all you're one of my oldest friends and Alex is my sister. I just want y'all to have a **beautiful **wedding."

Paige rolls her eyes. "You're so full of it."

Hannah clears her throat. "So you're fiancé is a woman?" Hannah asks Paige.

"Yes, Alex is a woman. Do you have a problem with that?" Uh-oh, Paige is getting ready to get into bitch mode.

Hannah is shaking her head. "No of course not," she says. "I actually know the perfect flowers for your wedding now. Follow me."

Once again we're traveling through the wretched and dangerous flower jungle. See how I try to keep things interesting for you? Hyperbole adjectives always make things more interesting. Once again we stop in front of another flower arrangement.

"This is the Always a Lady arrangement," Hannah tells us.

Oo, what a fitting name. The arrangement is pink and white. Hey it's white roses!

"This arrangement includes elegant white roses and sweet pink asiatic lilies and it's very eye-catching. It's classy and soft with the right amount of pink in it."

"I like it," I tell them.

"It is beautiful but…" Paige starts. I hate when there's a "but". "It's just that Jordan and Beth has white roses at their wedding."

"Paige it's ok," I tell her. "I don't care if you have white roses at your wedding."

"But I do. This wedding has to be different. It has to tell people that it is aboot Alex and me and it can't do that if there're white roses there."

I roll my eyes. She can be so dramatic sometimes.

"That is completely understandable," Hannah agrees with Paige. Hannah pulls out an arrangement that was sitting right beside the one I like. "This is _Lavish Love_," she tells us. "It includes radiant red roses and spray roses along with pretty in pink asiatic lilies. This combination of colors and flowers is a delightfully fresh way to say "I love you.""

Why does she sound like she's describing it straight from the internet? I'm just saying!

Paige's eyes have lit up. I think she really likes this one.

"It's beautiful," Paige says.

"Yeah it is," I agree with her. "There's pink for you and red for Alex. It's like the perfect combination for you two which means it's the perfect combination for your wedding."

"I love it!" Paige exclaims. "This is it! I want this arrangement for the ceremony."

Hannah smiles. "Amazing choice Miss Michalchuk. Now did you want to go ahead and pick out flowers for your wedding party and the reception?"

Paige nods her head. "Of course!"

NOOO!  


* * *

**A/N: poor Jordan, all she wants to do is sleep and spend time with her wife. sad face**


	69. Birthday Cake and Paper Cuts

**A/N: I don't even want to talk about it. Here's the new chapter =)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi or it's Characters.  


* * *

**"Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday dear Major, happy birthday to you!"

Major starts clapping his hands. "Woo!" he cheers.

Major closes his eyes and blows out the candles. Woo! Every year there's less and less spit when he blows out the candles.

Major looks up at Brian. "Cake now?" he asks.

Brian smiles and nods his head. "Yes, now it's time for cake."

As you might have already guess today is Major's birthday. The little man has turned five years old and he is the spitting image of Brian right now. Major is a very interesting little boy. He's very very goofy. He'll pretty much laugh at anything and he still thinks peek-a-boo is HILARIOUS. Major is also very smart. He always figure out Mom's hiding spots for the cookies and he knows pretty much everything about baseball, much to Brian's disappointment because Brian really wanted his son to be interested in basketball. Major can also add and subtract numbers up to twenty. See, I told you the boy is smart.

So we're having a little family get together at the 'rents' place. Palex, Beth, and I are all here for the celebration. Wedding planning has been… Well let's just say that I'm really glad it's summer so now Alex can be more involved. Last weekend Alex and Paige went to Niagara Falls so Alex could check out the venue and see the flowers Paige picked out. Alex agreed with me that using one hundred percent of the ballroom might be a bit much but Paige insisted that they needed it. I'm not one hundred percent sure how that debate exactly played out but I'm pretty sure Paige won.

"So Major," I start. "How does it feel to be really old now? We might have to start calling you by your real name."

"I'm not old," Major says while taking bites from his cake. "You're old JJ."

I fake gasp. "I'm not old!" I exclaim. "I'm just not young anymore."

"Exactly, therefore you're old."

"What kind of five year old uses the word "therefore"?" Alex asks.

"He watches a lot of television," Mom tells us. "Something we're going to have to start limiting."

"Aw man!" Major whines.

"But not today champ," Brian tells him. "Because today is your birthday."

"BIRTHDAY!"

Everyone laughs at Major's excitement. I walk into the living room and sit down on the couch, exhausted. Beth sits down beside me and lays her head on my shoulder. I put my arm around her. Alex and Paige sit on the opposite end of the couch.

"Matisse Allen Johnson, no more cake!" I hear Mom yell.

"Oh come on!" Major whines. "It's my birthday!"

Paige whistles. "Someone really likes cake," she says.

I nod my head. "That's because cake is fantastic."

"Speaking of cake," Paige starts. "We have cake testing at the bakery tomorrow."

I think Paige is talking to all of us.

"I have work tomorrow," I tell her.

"I get off at four," Beth tells us.

"Shouldn't only you and Alex be doing the cake testing anyway?" I ask Paige.

Alex is nodding her head. "Well that's what I said."

"But we need another opinion in case Alex and I can't agree on one," Paige says. "Or in case she just agrees with everything I say. Like last time." Paige is giving Alex a look.

Alex shrugs her shoulders. "I'm sorry I didn't think choosing a center piece for the reception tables was a priority."

Oo, big mistake saying that. Now Paige is looking at Alex slightly angrily and annoyed.

"Lexie, EVERYTHING aboot our wedding is a priority, even the center pieces," she says seriously.

"Really?" Alex asks. "Because quite frankly I don't think creating the perfect seating chart is a top priority."

"Of course that is a top priority! The seating at the reception is EXTREMELY important. We can't just let people sit wherever they want. Who knows what kind of drama could ensue."

I hear Beth sigh quietly. Whatever she's thinking I know I'm thinking the same thing.

"Paige, if your Aunt Betty wants to sit by Uncle Fred then I say let her," Alex says.

"Why, so she can yell at him about how he invested all their money into a rabbit farm for the hundredth time?" Paige is shaking her head. "Nu-uh, not on my wedding day."

"It's also my wedding day as well," Alex points out. "Something that you're apparently forgetting it."

"I'm not forgetting aboot you hon. It's just that you don't seem to care aboot anything!"

"Because the only thing aboot this wedding I actually care aboot is me and you!"

I believe the whole house just got dead silent. I see Major walk into the living room with frosting around his mouth. Brian walks up behind Major and picks him up and takes him back to the kitchen.

"No!" Major yells. "I want to hear the drama!"

"Oh be quiet," I hear Brian tell him.

I turn my attention back to Palex.

Alex sighs. "Paige, I know that you care aboot our wedding being at the **perfect** place with the **perfect** flowers and the **perfect** food and **perfect** seating chart and **perfect** everything but you have to realize something." Alex looks at Paige and takes her hand. "We could get married in a shady alley behind a crack house and it'd still be perfect because I'd be marrying the woman I love and I would hope that would be enough for you as well."

Paige kisses Alex on her cheek. "Lexie, I get it," Paige says. "I know that the most important thing aboot this wedding is you and me but hon, I've been dreaming aboot my wedding day since I was five. I mean sure the dream has changed a little bit since I hadn't exactly planned on falling in love with a girl but that was a change I whole heartily welcomed. I just need **you **to realize hon that although a seating chart might just be a silly stupid thing to you it is very important to me."

I see Alex open her mouth about to say something. Ok I need to end this now.

"How about no more wedding talk?" I suggest. "After all today is Major's birthday and that's what we should be focused on. Now I don't know about y'all but I'm going to go back into the kitchen before Major eats all the cake."

"Me too," Beth says.

I get up from the couch. Beth takes me hand and we go into the kitchen. Brian and Major are at the table eating more cake while Mom is at the island eating an apple. I sit down at the island while Alex and Paige come in. Major looks at them and then at Beth.

"Beth, how do you say "a lot of drama" in Spanish?" Major asks her.

"Mucha drama," Beth tells him.

Major turns his head back to Brian. "Daddy," he calls out to Brian.

"Hm?"

Major points to Palex. "Mucha drama," he says.

"Eat your cake," Brian orders.

Beth and I quietly laugh. See, I told you Major is smart.

o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O

What's the best thing about being married? Knowing that when I get home after a long day of work there's going to be a person waiting for me with a smile on her face and I lot of love just for me. I just got off and I am exhausted. We did a concert contest today and you won't believe how crazy people get when they could win tickets to see Rihanna in New York City. Then one of the producers got mad at me because I did the contest like ten minutes late. I really wanted to tell him to kiss my black ass but I figured that wouldn't be the smartest move. And then I have to do club night later this week on Friday night, and I have more wedding planning stuff to do with Palex. Ugh! I just need all this stress in my life to go away.

I enter the condo and immediately drop my bags at the door. I'll put them up later. I tiredly go upstairs. I go to the bedroom and collapse onto the bed. I hear the shower running so I know Beth is in there. Ugh, I need to shower. I'm pretty sure I smell. The A/C in the studio isn't working, which is quite ridiculous. I just want to sleep.

I hear the water in the shower stop. I am one step closer to taking a shower which means I am one step closer to going to sleep, then another day of work. Well at least I like my job, unlike some people. I hear the bathroom door open.

"Hey, I'll be out in like five minutes," Beth tells me.

"Ok," I mutter.

I wonder if I can somehow get out of club night. I mean I really don't feel like doing it. I know it is part of my job but sometimes I just want to sit at home on the couch with my wife and watch television. Wow, I'm 24 years old and I'm already sounding extremely old. What the hell is Beth doing in there? It's been like ten minutes. Maybe I can just go to bed without taking a shower. I haven't moved my body since collapsing and I don't think I can. I hear the door open.

"Welcome home," Beth says in a sultry tone. "How was work?"

"Well Peter chewed me out today but whatever," I tell her. "I am completely exhausted. Is it cool if I just go to bed without taking a shower or would that be too gross?"

"I don't think it will matter since the bed is aboot to get dirty anyway."

"What are you talking about?"

"Jordan, turn around and look at me."

I groan. I tiredly flip my body over so I can look at her. I sit up so I can actually see her. Beth is just standing there in a towel. I can tell she's wearing a bra though because I can see the straps.

"Why are you wearing a towel?" I ask. "It's not like I haven't seen you without any pants on before."

Beth is just smiling at me. She drops the towel. WHOA! Holy, oh my God! My beautiful wife is standing in front of me wearing a red and black lace garter outfit which is leaving little, yet enough, to the imagination. She's walking over to me and I can honestly say that I no longer feel tired. Beth gets on the bed and put her legs on either side of my body, straddling me. She puts her hands behind my neck and puts her mouth next to my ear.

"¿Todavía es cansada?" she asks in her sexy Spanish accent.

My whole body just shivered. All I know how to do at this moment is shake my head. "No," I squeak out.

"Bueno."

Beth kisses me. I no longer feel tired.

o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O

Ok, this has to be the most ridiculous thing I have ever had to do before. Not only is this ridiculous but this is also very time consuming. Everyone is currently at Palex's place and when I say everyone I really do mean everyone. Alex, Paige, Craig, Ellie, Marco, Dylan, my cousin Cindy, Beth, and I are all here. Now you're probably wondering why we have all gathered at Palex's place. Well it's time for Palex to send out the wedding invitations and they needed our help with writing the addresses and stamping the envelopes and what not. Now I was expecting only about maybe two or three hundred invitations and then we'd be out of here in no time. Nope, nu-uh! Beth and I arrive at the condo to find that Paige has decided to invite NINE HUNDRED people! Apparently originally she wanted to invite one thousand but Alex told her she had to cut the list down a bit. NINE HUNDRED!

So here we all are, on the floor surrounded by paper and pens. Do you know what sever carpel tunnel feels like? Well I do!

"Paige, do you even know nine hundred people?" Craig asks. "I mean I'm in the music business and I don't think I even know nine hundred people."

"I don't think I know nine hundred people and I'm a professional hockey player," Dylan says. "That's including all the players I know here, overseas, and the fans!"

"Well hon I'm in the fashion industry and I know A LOT of people," Paige says. "Plus both families are huge."

"Paige, half of our family is in the Netherlands!" Dylan exclaims.

"And I can tell you right now that there is no way in hell you want to invite everyone from the Johnson clan, trust me," I tell Paige.

"We're not invited Aunt Jane or any of her kids," Alex says.

I look at Alex. "Good choice," I tell her.

"Ow!" Marco exclaims. Marco has his finger in his mouth. "Paper cut."

Ellie throws Marco a band-aid. That's like the fifth one for him. So far I only have one paper cut but I'm pretty sure I might have one on my tongue."

"Ugh!" Ellie says. She's rotating her wrist and flexing her hand. "I got carpel tunnel again," she tells us. "Someone switch with me."

I throw down the invitation and envelope I was holding. "Paige this is ridiculous! Nine hundred people? I saw where the ceremony is going to be held and there's no way in hell nine hundred people will fit in that tiny spot. Nine hundred people can't even fit in the ballroom."

"I'm not expecting all nine hundred people to come hon," Paige says.

Oh that's it. I start to get up but Beth holds me back. I turn to look at her and she's just shaking her head.

"Paige, maybe we should cut the list more," Alex says while looking at it. "I mean do we really want Inès de la Fressange at our wedding? You've talked to the woman like maybe five times and the last time was aboot six months ago."

"Inès would be offended if I didn't invite her," Paige says.

Alex places her hands on both sides of Paige's face. "Paigey all I'm saying is that we should really only invite people who actually matter in our lives. This wedding is supposed to be for our loved ones to see us pledge our love to each other. I'm pretty sure Inès and," Alex looks back at the list. "Marc Jacobs could care less aboot our wedding."

Paige is pouting. "But Lexie…"

Alex is shaking her head. "I'm putting my foot down. Paige, cut the list down to seven fifty. At least that way if everyone does come we at least have room for them at the reception. And not everyone can come to the actually ceremony so you need to choose which one of your "friends" are coming to the ceremony and which ones can only come to the reception."

Paige sighs. "Ok…"

Everyone in the room groans.

"Ay dios mio," Beth groans.

"Jeez Alex!" Dylan yells. "You couldn't have put your foot down an hour ago?"

I fall back into a pile of envelopes. I'm exhausted and I need to rest.

"Next time Alex put your foot down before most of us get paper cuts on our hands and fingers," I tell her.

Please God, let the wedding be here already.


	70. Hanging Out and Drunken Phone Calls

**A/N: So this chapter is kinda short but it's really only suppose to lead up to the wedding. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi or its characters.  


* * *

**Let me just start by telling you how extremely happy I am right now. I am so happy that I'm thinking about throwing a parade. I am like happy times a million. It's April 2013. THAT'S RIGHT, IT'S APRIL! My stress levels have finally gone down because it's finally April!

The wedding is this Sunday. It's currently Wednesday and Alex, Jay, Ellie, and I are at my place right now and we're just chillin. This is Alex's "bachelorette" party. See Jay is Alex's best man and I of course am her maid of honor but somehow Jay has more "power" than me just because he's known Alex since they were in pull-ups. Psh, whatever I don't care. Well Alex told us that she didn't want a big party so Jay and I decided to just have a hang out session at my place with Alex's bridal shower, so just him, Ellie, and me.

So we're currently watching television and drinking. Jay and Alex are drinking beer and I'm drinking Mike's Hard Lemonade because I don't like beer and apparently I'm a wuss, according to Jay. Ellie is just drinking regular lemonade. None of us are quite sure what Paige and her friends are doing but we do know that they are somewhere in Atlantic City. I'm slightly afraid.

"I still can't believe you're getting married to the former Queen-Bee of Degrassi," Jay tells Alex.

"Sometimes I can't believe it either," Alex says.

"I still can't believe Manny Santos married **you**," I tell Jay and smile.

Jay narrows his eyes at me. "Well I can't believe Beth married you."

"And I can't believe it's not butter," Ellie says.

What the-. We all turn our heads and look at Ellie. Ellie shrugs her shoulders.

"Everyone was saying something they couldn't believe and I had to join in on the fun," she says.  
I laugh. "Uh, ok. Well let me just say that I'm glad we decided to do this little get together instead of some huge party. I kind of wish my bachelorette party had been like this."

Alex laughs. "Emphasis on the words "kind of"," she says. "Jordan everyone knows you love a good party."

"I love a good party that doesn't involve male strippers," I point out.

"Ew, there were male strippers?" Jay asks. "Obviously the party I threw for you was better."

"Oh yeah, kidnapping me to Vegas and then taking to me to a strip club was so much better."

"Hey now, it was a gentlemen's club," Jay defends himself. "I try to keep it somewhat classy sometimes."

"Yes Jay because 'Classy' is your middle name," Alex says.

Jay smiles his trademark smile.

"Look at you Jay, you're hanging out with women and that's it," I tell him.

Jay shrugs his shoulders. "What can I say, I'm a ladies' man," he says.

"Granted two of the ladies are lesbians and one is in a very committed relationship," Ellie points out. "But besides that you're definitely a ladies' man Jay Hogart."

"Speaking of committed relationships," Jay starts. "Nash, when are you and Manning going to tie the knot?"

Ellie's eyes widen and I see her struggling, trying to swallow her lemonade.

"I-I-we- what?" Ellie seems surprised and thrown off by the question.

"Well I'm married, Jordan is married, Alex is aboot to be married," Jay says. "That only leaves you. How aboot you be the one to take the step and propose to Craig? I mean it is 2013. Don't women propose more these days or something?"

"Craig and I haven't been together that long," Ellie says.

"Well you two have been together for aboot two years," Alex says. "I proposed to Paige only after a little over a year of being with her."

"Yeah but this wasn't the first time you two was together," Ellie points out. "This was like the fourth or fifth!"

"Third," Jay and I correct her at the same time.

Ellie shakes her head. "Whatever it doesn't matter. Just because you three decided to get married early doesn't mean I need to get married."

"Alright we'll stop talking about it," I tell her. "Besides this night is aboot a Miss Alex Nuñez."

"Yes, yes it is," Jay says. Jay stands up and put his beer into the air. "To Alex, when I first met you at the innocent age of three."

I laugh quietly. I'm pretty sure at the age of three neither Alex nor Jay were innocent.

"I knew that you'd be a very important person in my life. Alex I don't know if I ever said this but I'm sorry. I'm sorry for what I did to you back in high school and I kick myself for it every day. But I'm glad that you were able to find love for someone else. I know that at first I wasn't exactly happy that you got together with Paige, someone who at one point was our enemy, but I'm glad that she was able to give you something you deserved, love. I know that you and Paige are going to be the couple that everyone else tries to live up to. Congrats Lexie."

Aw that was beautiful. Ellie and I start clapping. Alex stands up and gives Jay a hug. Are they crying? Is Jay really crying? Alex and Jay pull away from each other and I see Alex wipe away a tear.

"Aw Jay, I always knew you were a big ol softie," Alex says.

"Whatever Nuñez," Jay says and playfully pushes her. "Just wait till Sunday. My best man speech is going to rock."

"Yeah well my maid of honor speech is going to rock your best man speech Hogart," I tell Jay.

"Bring it Johnson."

"I don't even get to give a speech," Ellie mutters.

Alex sits down besides Ellie. "El, of course you get to give a speech," Alex tells her. "I'm just so afraid yours is going to be extremely smart and intellectual. I know how journalists like to use big words."

"Psh, those pompous asses at the _New York Post_ like to use big complicated words that no one understands."

"Someone's still salty about that I see," I mutter.

"Oh whatever," Ellie says. "The _Toronto Leaf_ is a better paper any way. I can write articles around those asses at the _Post_."

Alex is nodding her head. "None of us doubt that you can El."

"So Alex," I start. "How do you feel knowing that in a few days you will be Mrs. Nuñez-Michalchuk?"

A smile instantly appears on Alex's face. "Well I never in a million years thought that the name "Michalchuk" would be part of my name," she says while laughing. "But it feels good, a bit surreal. I mean if someone had told me in high school that I, bad ass Alex Nuñez, was going to marrying Paige Michalchuk, the Queen-Bee of Degrassi, then I would have asked that person what kind of drugs they were on."

Jay, Ellie, and I laugh.

Alex shrugs her shoulders. "But here I am, with some of my closest oldest friends while my fiancé is off somewhere in Atlantic City doing God only knows what and I'm getting married to the love of my life in a couple of days. I never thought I could be this happy but I am and I am so grateful and thankful for the life that I have."

"Well I'm very happy for you Alex," Ellie says. "Both you and Paige have come a long way and I'm glad you two were able to find your ways back to each other."

"Thanks El."

Why is everyone looking at me right now? I'm feeling just a tad bit uncomfortable with all of them looking at me.

"What?" I ask. "Why are y'all looking at me?"

"We're just waiting," Ellie says simply.

"Waiting on what?"

"For one of your infamous Jordan speeches," Alex says and smiles.

"I have no idea what you are talking about."

"Psh, come on Johnson," Jay says. "Even I know that you like to give profound, heartwarming speeches that either bring people to tears or make them realize something."

I'm shaking my head. "Nope, you just have to wait till the wedding."

Everyone groans and all I hear is "come on".

_Romeo take me somewhere we can be alone,__I'll be waiting all there's left to do is run.__You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess,__it's a love story baby just say yes._

We all look at Alex. Yeah that's Alex's phone going off.

"Hey, this is Paige's favorite song," Alex says. "So you can all stop giving me that look."

Alex gets her phone out of her pocket. Jay quickly snatches her phone and answers it, putting it on speaker.

"Alex!" we all hear Paige drunkenly scream through the phone. "Alex, I love you!"

"Paige, are you drunk?" Alex asks.

"No! I've only had two Long Island Ice Teas!"

We all look at each other with the same looks on our face. Let's just say Paige doesn't really know how to hold her liquor.

"Paige where are you?" Alex asks.

"I'm with the girls!" Paige yells. "Lexie I miss you! I can't wait to get married and then go on our honey moon. We're never going to leave the hotel room!"

Ha ha ha! Jay, Ellie, and I start laughing. Alex blushes and quickly takes the phone away from Jay and takes it off speaker phone.

"Paigey," Alex says into the phone. "I think you've had enough to drink for one night. Maybe you and your friends should go back to the hotel and go to bed now."

Alex is nodding her head a lot.

"I'm excited too," Alex says. "But now it's time to go to sleep. Uh-huh, I love you too. Bye."

Alex ends the call.

"Wow Lexie, I hope there's a good mini bar in your room on your honey moon since you and the soon to be Mrs. aren't going to leave the room," Jay says while laughing.

Alex grabs a pillow and throws it at Jay. The pillow hits Jay square in the face but he's still laughing and so are Ellie and I.

_All my life__, __I prayed for someone like you.__And I thank God__that I...that I finally found you._

Oh-no. Everyone's head turns to my ringing phone sitting on the coffee table. I look up at Alex and I can tell that she's challenging me. Well I accept this challenge. I lunge for my phone the same time Alex lunges for it. I crash onto the floor while Alex is holding my phone up in the air with triumph on her face. Alex answers my phone.

"Hello, this is Jordan's phone," Alex answers. "Oh hey Beth! Yeah, Jordan is right here!" Alex presses the speaker button on my phone.

Oh no, this is not a good thing. If Beth is drunk then this is a very bad thing.

"Jordan?" Beth calls us my name.

Please God drop the call. "Yeah!" I yell so Beth can hear me since Alex is holding the phone away from me.

I can hear voices in the background. "I wuv you Jordan," Beth slurs.

Oh Lord. "I love you too! Maybe you should go to bed."

"Say it," I hear someone in the background talking.

"Shh!" Beth quiets whoever was talking. "Jordan, I really REALLY miss you."

"I miss you too babe. But we'll see each other in a couple of days."

"I know…but Jordan… I bought us a new toy and-"

Ok, that's it! I tackle Alex and grab my phone from her. I quickly take it off of speaker phone.

"Beth!" I yell quickly into the phone.

"Jordan, why the yelling?" she asks.

"Woo!" I hear Paige yelling in the background.

"Babe, go back to the party and have fun or go to bed," I tell her.

"But Jordan, I- I…"

I hear the sound of someone throwing up.

"Oops," I hear Beth say. "Sorry Kelly."

Aw, Beth threw up. It is definitely time for her to go to bed.

"Beth," I call out her name. "Bethany."

"I'm here! I'm here."

"Beth, give Kelly the phone," I tell her slowly. "Ok?"

"Ok," Beth says. "I love you."

I smile. "I love you too. Now give Kelly the phone."

I hear shuffling. "Hello?" Kelly says into the phone.

"Kelly, please tell me you're sober."

"Yeah Jordan I'm sober and I'm about to get everyone back to the hotel."

"Ok, please do me a huge favor and make sure Beth is ok."

"Of course Jordan. I'll even make sure she'll drink two bottles of water."

"Thanks Kelly, you're a life saver."

"Bye."

"Bye."

I end the call. I'm looking at Alex, Jay, and Ellie. I'm giving Alex a deathly glare and I can tell she's trying to hold in a life.

"So…" Jay starts. "I don't know who I should be more excited for, Alex because she'll be spending a lot of time in her room during the honey moon, or Jordan because apparently her and Beth have a new toy."

"Shut up Jay," Alex and I tell him at the same time.

Jay puts his hands up. "I'm just saying that you two ladies have something to look forward to when your women get home."

"Alex I'm going to give you a five second head start," I tell Alex.

"What?"

"If you don't run within the next three seconds you're not going to see your wedding day."

"Are you serious?"

I turn and look at her. A look of fear appears on Alex's face.

"Shit!" she yells.

Alex bolts from the couch. I count to three and jump up from the couch. Someone might not make it to her wedding day.


	71. A Palex Wedding

**A/N: I wanted to make sure to get this just right. I wanted to make sure that I could express the love that these two characters have for each other in the right words. Enjoy**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi or its characters. Also the parts when the minister speaks I got from various wedding websites.  
**

* * *

Today is the day. Everything that has happened in our lives has been leading up to this day. Wow, maybe I should rephrase that because that sort of makes my life sound slightly pathetic. Everything that has happened to Paige and Alex for the past nine years has been leading up to this day.

I'm walking down a corridor right now. I hate walking in heels, I always feel awkward in them. I mean it's bad enough I'm in this dress but then I'm also in heels. Yeah, that's right, I'm wearing a dress, again. I'm wearing my clover green bridesmaid's dress right now. Paige and Alex both agreed on the color of the bridesmaid's dresses. Both of them agreed that the color would represent the season the wedding is being held in. I've finally reached my destination, thank God. Ya know what, fuck these shoes! I take the demon heels off and walk into the room.

"Hel- Hazel?" What the fuck?

I just walked into Paige' s room to see how she was doing and standing in front of me is Hazel Aden, or maybe it's Hazel's ghost. Hazel, or Hazel's ghost, turns around and smiles at me.

"Jordan, hi!" she greets me excitedly.

Hazel comes running up to me and now she's hugging me. This is like really awkward for me. Hazel pulls away.

"How are you?" she asks.

"Um… good," I answer. "How are you?"

"I'm fantastic," she says. "I'm so excited to be here, to see Paige get married."

"Yeah… Excited."

I walk past Hazel because this is just too weird. I walk over to Paige, who is standing in front of three mirrors. Paige turns around and she looks absolutely sunning. Paige finally found the perfect dress, sometime last fall. She decided on an Oscar De La Renta white strapless gown. She looks really elegant and beautiful.

"Paige, you look amazing," I tell her. "Alex is going to have a heart attack when she sees you."

Paige laughs nervously. "I hope not," she says. "I'd really like her to be alive during the ceremony."

"Well maybe she'll wait till after the reception to have the heart attack," I tell her.

"Are you supposed to be in here?" a voice behind me asks.

I turn around. Beth and Marco are standing behind me. Beth is in her bridesmaid's dress and of course she looks good. Green ALWAYS looks good on her. Marco is in his tux with his clover green vest and tie.

"Am I **not** allowed to be in here?" I ask.

"This room is for Paige's bridal party," Marco tells me.

"I apologize. I didn't know there were such strict rules. I just wanted to check on Paige and see how everything was going. Now that I know everything is perfect I will leave now."

I turn around to leave the room.

"Jordan, wait," Paige calls out.

I turn around. "Yeah?"

"Alex… She's still there right?" Paige asks nervously. "She hasn't like gotten cold feet or anything and ran away has she?"

I'm shaking my head. "No," I answer. "Alex is in her room right now trying to remember her vows to say to you. You have NOTHING to worry about Paige."

Paige lets out a breath of relief. I walk up to Marco and Beth.

"You have the necklace, right?" I whisper to them.

Beth nods her head. "Of course we have it," she whispers.

"Now leave," Marco says.

I roll my eyes at him. I quickly kiss Beth on her cheek and leave the room. I'm walking down the hall to Alex's room now and yes I'm walking barefooted. I really don't need to wear these heels till the ceremony. I walk into Alex's room.

"Remind me again why I have to wear heels," I say as I enter the room. "And did anyone know Hazel was going to be here? Because I personally thought she was dead or like on the other side of the world or something.

"Where have you been?" Alex practically screams.

I look at Alex and why does she look like she just saw a dead body or something? She looks completely freaked out and it looks like all the blood from her body has been completely drained. I look over at Jay and he just looks completely lost. I roll my eyes at him, as usually he's no help. I walk up to Alex and place my hands on her shoulders.

"Breathe Alex, breathe," I tell her.

"I've been telling her to do that for the past five minutes," Jay says.

I turn around and look at him angrily. "Some best man you are," I tell him. "Where the hell is Ellie?"

"She went to go look for your mom," Jay says while running his hand through his hair. "And I am a damn good best man."

I roll my eyes and turn my attention back to Alex. She's like hyperventilating right now. Ok, we certainly do not have the time right now to go through breathing exercises so I obviously need to do the only sensible thing that will help Alex get through this.

_Slap!_

"Fuck!" Alex yells.

"Oh my God!" Jay yells.

Yeah I just slapped Alex. What? It was necessary! Alex has her hand up to her cheek and she's looking at me with wide eyes. I think I might see a hint on anger on her face.

"You just slapped me," Alex says angrily.

"Well are you out of your little panic attack mode?" I ask.

"Why the hell did you slap her?" Jay asks.

I turn and look at him. "Because we don't have time to go through fifty breathing exercises with her to calm her nerves down, and giving her alcohol was definitely not the answer. So obviously the only thing left to do was to slap her."

"Or so if you slap her it's the sensible thing to do but if I'd slap her I probably would have gotten a knee to my groin and possibly arrested," Jay says.

I shrug my shoulders. I turn back around and focus on Alex.

"Now what the hell are you freaking out about?" I ask her.

"Well before it was only aboot the dress, my vows, and this whole ceremony," Alex says. "But now I'm freaking out aboot my face since you probably left a hand print on it."

I take Alex's hand away from her face and look at her cheek. "No red mark," I tell her.

I look at Alex's dress, up and down. She's wearing a nice black and white dress that looks stunning on her. I don't see anything wrong with it.

"What's wrong with the dress?" I ask.

Alex turns around and looks at herself in the mirror. "Maybe I should have gone with a traditional white dress," she says. "I mean who wears black to a wedding?"

"The dress is mostly white," I point out. "Besides, the black is mostly flowers. Now what's wrong with your vows?"

"What if I mess up?" Alex asks nervously. "What if I slip up and say something wrong or what if Paige doesn't like them." Alex quickly turns around and I see pure fear in her eyes. "What if this whole thing is a mistake? What if Paige and I aren't really meant for each other? What if we get married and it turns out that we really shouldn't be together? What if-"

"Alright Nuñez, enough of this," Jay says. Jay walks over to Alex and grabs her by the shoulders. "You look amazing in this dress. When Michalchuk sees you she's going to have a heart attack by how beautiful you look. Secondly, where are your vows?"

Alex holds up a piece of paper with her vows on them. Jay takes the piece of paper. Oh my God! Jay just ripped the paper in half. Alex gasps. She looks up at Jay and it looks like she's about to kill him.

"Jay!" she yells. "What the fuck?"

"Tell me why you love Paige," Jay says.

"What?"

Jay grabs Alex's shoulders. "Give me five reasons why you love Paige and why you're marrying her. Right now!"

"Because!" Alex yells. "Because I love her with my whole heart. Because when I'm with her I forget aboot my past and I think aboot my future. Because when I'm with Paige nothing can hurt me, I feel invincible. Paige was the first person who believed that I could be more than I ever thought I could be. Because when I'm with Paige the whole world could end right at that very moment but it wouldn't matter because I'd be with her."

Alex looks a whole lot better than she did when I came in here. Jay is smiling at her with triumph.

"Exactly," he says. "You know that you and Michalchuk are meant to be. You two were made for each other and today you are going to show the whole world that you two care committed to each other and will be for the rest of your lives. When you go out there to say your vows just speak from the heart. So stop worrying and woman up Nuñez!"

Wow! I would clap right now if it wasn't for the fact that it would be sort of inappropriate right now. I must say Jay really stepped up just now.

Jay looks at me. "And **that's **how a best man does it," he says.

I clap my hands together very softly. "Bravo Hogart, bravo," I applaud him.

"I find your mom!"

We all turn around and there's Ellie standing there with Mom. Why the hell is Ellie out of breath?

"You're like five minutes late Nash," Jay says. "But good job anyway."

Mom is standing there looking slightly confused. Her focus turns to Alex and… yep, there're the tears. Mom walks over to Alex while tears are falling down her face.

"Alex… you're beautiful," Mom says.

"Thanks Mom," Alex thanks her. Oh I know she's not about to cry too.

"Jay, will you please see if everyone is ready?" I ask him. "I think we're about to have a river of tears start in here and I really don't feel like doing Alex's make-up again."

Jay nods his head. "Will do," he says and walks out of the room.

I turn back around and look at my mother and Alex. I wave Ellie over.

"Ok let's do this old, new, borrowed, etcetera tradition," I tell them.

"First, something new," I say as I pull out a long rectangular box from the bag Ellie is holding.

I open the box to reveal a necklace. Alex delicately lifts up the necklace. It's a silver necklace with a half heart pendant at the end of it. Alex is looking at the pendant and she seems slightly confused.

"Lex?" she reads of the pendant. "What is 'lex'?"

"You will find that out later," I tell her.

I take the necklace from Alex and walk around her. Alex moves her hair up and I put the necklace on for her. I walk back around.

"Perfect," I say.

"Now it's time for the borrowed!" Mom sings.

Mom reaches into her purse and pulls out the same earrings I wore at my wedding.

"Obviously these earrings bring good luck to the Johnson women," she says.

Mom hands the earrings to Alex and Alex puts them in.

"Thanks Mom," she says. Alex and Mom share a hug.

"Obviously we need to name those earrings the wedding earrings," I tell everyone. "When Major gets married he can wear them."

Mom hits me on the shoulder. Ow, that hurt. Mom and I turn to look at Ellie because she has the "something old" item.

"Alex," Ellie starts. "Emily came by to see me the other day. She heard you were getting married and she wanted you to have this."

Ellie takes out a rectangular box from the bag. Ellie hands the box to Alex. Alex opens the box and inside is a note and something underneath the note. Alex takes the note and hands the box back to Ellie. In the box now is a bracelet. Alex opens the note.

"Dear Alex," she reads. "I hope this package gets to you on your wedding day. I know that you've started a new life, a life that I am no longer a part of but I still wanted you to have a piece of me on your very important day. Inside is a bracelet that your grandmother gave me the day your dad and I got married. Although your dad and I didn't stay happy for very long there was a point where we loved each other very much and I know that the love between you and Paige is strong and real and I wish you the best of luck. Love, your mother."

A tear runs down Alex's face. Alex quickly wipes it away, hoping no one saw it. She lifts the bracelet and looks at it.

"Ellie, can you help me put it on?" Alex asks.

Ellie nods her head and helps Alex puts the bracelet on her wrist. Once the bracelet is securely on Alex studies the tiny charms and the tiny pictures on it.

"Are you ok sweetie?" Mom asks.

Alex nods her head. "Sometimes I have to be reminded of my past as I embark on my future."

I nod my head. "And how do you feel about the future?" I ask.

"I feel confident, happy, and I'm ready for it to start. It's time I go get married."

"Wait!" Mom says quickly. "We need something blue. Who has the blue?"

Ellie is looking at me and I'm looking back at her.

"You were supposed to get the blue!" she says while pointing at me.

I'm shaking my head and pointing at her. "I got the new! You were supposed to get the blue!"

"Ladies, ladies, calm down."

We all turn and look at who just spoke. Jay is standing in the doorway holding something. It looks like a container a corsage would be in.

"As the best man, I took it upon myself to get the something blue," Jay says while smirking and walking to us.

I don't like this smirk. This is the old high school smirk Jay use to do all the time that always made me nervous. Jay reaches us and opens the container. Inside is a blue garter. I instantly roll my eyes.

"Jason, you bought my daughter a garter?" Mom asks Jay.

"Ya see Mrs. J I think you're looking at this the wrong way," Jay says. "Don't see this as me buying Lexi a garter and now knowing what's up her dress. See this as me buying Lexi something blue." Jay smiles.

My mom has her hands on her hips and she's looking at Jay with that mother look that would make anyone crap their pants.

"Have I mentioned that I am a happily married man?" Jay asks and quickly puts up his hand, showing his wedding band.

"Mhm," Mom says with what sounds like attitude in her voice. She takes the garter from Jay. "Thank you Jason, for the blue. Now go wait out in the hall."

"Yes ma'am," Jay squeaks out and quickly leaves the room.

As soon as the door shuts Alex, Ellie, and I start laughing.

"Mom, I love when you scare the crap out of Jay," I tell her in between the laughs.

"I will admit that I do like the look of horror that appears on his face sometimes," Mom says. Mom hands the garter to Alex. "Hurry up and put that on. We have a wedding to start."

Mom claps her hands. Alex goes to the bathroom to put the garter on under her dress. Once Alex is situated we all leave the room and head to door that leads outside. Brian is already there waiting and so is Paige's bridal party. I take a peek outside and there's a bunch of people out there.

"Alex, you look beautiful," Brian tells Alex.

I can see Brian's eyes shining which means he's on the verge of tears. This man will pretty much cry about anything. Alex hugs him.

"Thanks Dad," she says. "And stop crying. Today is a happy day."

Brian wipes away a tear that was about to fall down his face. "I know," he says. "It's just… I have to give one of my daughters away again. It's like all you kids just want to leave me. Before I know it Major will be getting the married."

"I'm getting married?" Major, who just appeared out of nowhere, asks.

Everyone laughs. Brian kneels down.

"I don't know," he says. "Are you?"

"I don't think so," Major says seriously.

Brian nods his head. "Ok then."

The music starts playing for Alyssa, our flower girl, and Major to walk down the aisle. Once again, there is nothing cuter than Major in a tuxedo. The rest of us get ready to walk down the aisle.

"Remember, just speak from your heart," Jay tells Alex.

Alex nods her head and hugs him. "Thanks," she says.

"Anything for you Lexie."

We get our cue and it's time for the bridal parties. We line up with our appropriate partners. Jay has his arm out as Hazel takes it. Beth and I take each other's hands while holding out bridesmaid's bouquets in our vacant hands and behind us Ellie takes Marco's arm. We start walking down the aisle. Wow, a lot of people really are here. I see Jay blow a kiss to Manny. I also hear some gasps, I'm guessing from the people who, like me, probably thought Hazel was dead or something.

On Alex's side it's a lot of the Johnson clan and lot of Alex's friends from school and FSU. On Paige's side I see her family and a lot of people from the fashion industry. Oo I just saw Riley! I'm also seeing a good mixture of Degrassi kids on both sides, including Spinner, Emma, Sean, and others. We all make it down the aisle and go to our own sides. Jay gives the cue to the band and the song we've all been waiting to hear for years now starts to play.

Alex and Paige decided that they both wanted to have their own entrances and they wanted each of their bridal marches to sound different. As soon as the horns begin to play everyone stands up and the door opens and there at the end of the aisle is Alex and Brian. They begin making their journey down the aisle. Alex looks strikingly beautiful right now. She's walking down the aisle with so much confidence it seems like it's radiating off her body. Alex and Brian make it to the altar and Brian walks over and stands with Mom and Major.

Horns have stopped and strings have begun. The sound of violins, a cello, and a viola fill the air. It seems like the butterflies and birds have awoken. The doors open once more and standing at the end of the aisle is Paige and her father. Everyone is taken aback from her dress, or at least it seems like the women are because they know that dress is an Oscar de la Renta dress. The song continues to play as Paige and Roger walk down the aisle. Butterflies are flying around Paige's head and you'd think this is a movie because of how beautiful everything is right now.

I look at Alex and tears are falling down her face but she's wearing the biggest smile I've ever seen on her face. I look over at Paige's side of guests and Rose and Dylan are both wiping tears away with tissues. I look back at Paige and it seems like her entire focus is on Alex. Paige is smiling and it seems like that smile is going to be stuck on her face forever.

Roger and Paige finally reach the altar and I hear Alex sigh a breath of relief. Roger goes to stand with the rest of the Michalchuks.

"Who gives this woman to this woman in marriage?" Minister Jones asks, pointing at Alex.

"We do," Brian, Mom, Major, even Jay, and I all say at the same time.

"And who gives this woman to this woman in marriage?" Minister Jones asks, this time pointing at Paige.

"We do," Roger, Rose, and Dylan say at the same time.

Minister Jones nods her head and everyone sits down. Alex hands Jay the bouquet, who then hands it to me. Paige hands her bouquet to Hazel. Minister Jones opens her book and begins to speak into the microphone. The way the sun is shining on the alter it makes it seem like God is smiling down on the couple.

"We are here today to join Paige Rose Michalchuk and Alexandra Deanna Johnson Nuñez in a life of mutual commitment," Minister Jones says. "It is fitting and appropriate that you, the family and friends of Paige and Alexandra, be here to witness and to participate in their union. For the ideals, the understanding, and the mutual respect which they bring to their life together had their roots in the love and friendship and guidance you have given them. The union of two people makes us aware of the changes wrought by time. But the new relationship will continue to draw much of its beauty and meaning from the intimate associations of their past.

"Love should have no other desire but to fulfill itself. But if your love and needs must have desires, let these be your desires: To melt and be like a running brook that sings its melody to the night. To know the pain of too much tenderness. To be wounded by your own understanding of love; And to bleed willingly and joyfully. To wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving; To rest at the noon hour and meditate love's ecstasy; To return home at eventide with gratitude; Then to sleep with a vision of the beloved in your heart and a song of love on your lips."

Alex and Paige are holding each other's hands while listening to Minister Jones. Minister Jones turns and looks at Paige.

"Paige, will you take Alexandra, to be your wife?" she asks. "Will you love her, comfort her, honor and protect her and forsaking all others to be faithful to her until death do you apart?"

"I do," Paige says confidently.

Minister Jones turns and looks at Alex. "Alexandra, will you take Paige, to be your wife?" she asks. "Will you love her, comfort her, honor and protect her and forsaking all others to be faithful to her until death do you apart?"

"I do," Alex says, her voice cracking.

Minister Jones looks out into the crowd. "Paige and Alexandra have prepared their own vows," she says. "Paige, you will go first."

Paige takes a deep breath. Hazel hands Paige a piece of paper as Minister Jones hands her a microphone. Paige's hand is shaking. Someone is nervous. Paige looks up and Alex and smiles.

"When we're little our parents read us bedtime stories every night," Paige begins. "It's usually the same story. There's a princess in distress and Prince Charming always comes to save her at the end of the day with true love's first kiss. We grow up waiting for Prince Charming to come save us, to give us that true love's first kiss; little did I know my Prince Charming would actually be Princess Bad Ass."

Everyone laughs, including Alex.

"Since I was five I always had this "plan". I was going to go to Banting, meet some great guy, get my degree, and live in some big house with my husband with our two point five kids and a golden retriever. Little did I know everything changed that first night I worked at the movie theater. My plan for life changed because I changed, because you changed me. Alex, you helped me see the person I always wanted to be but was too afraid to let out. You showed me what true love was and what happiness really could be. You showed me that it was ok to not have everything planned out that living in the moment could be just as great."

Tears have begun falling down not only Paige's face but my face as well. I look at Alex and I can tell she's trying to hold her composure but any second tears will soon be falling down her face as well.

"Alex, I pledge everything to you. I pledge my love, my heart, my soul, and my life to you. I promise to always be here for you, I promise to never leave your side when things get bad. I promise that every day we spend together will be better than the last. I promise you all these things and more until the day I die."

I don't know if it's appropriate to clap midway during a wedding ceremony but I feel the need to. I look around and there's not a single dry face here.

"Alexandra, it's your turn," Minister Jones tells Alex.

I see Jay pat Alex on the shoulder. Alex takes a deep breath as Minister Jones hands her the microphone.

"I never thought I was good enough," Alex says. "I looked at the life I came from and I always thought that that would one day be my life. I never thought I would find someone who would truly love me for me. My life had always been an up and down rollercoaster and I never thought that once the ride stopped there'd be someone waiting for me."

Alex's voice has cracked and squeaked and I know she's on the verge of tears.

"When I first met you I didn't know you were going to change my life. I didn't know you were going to show me that I could live a life that was better than the one I had. I didn't know you were going to be the one to save me. I didn't know you were going to be the one waiting for me when I got off the crazy rollercoaster." Alex softly laughs. "I didn't know you were going to be on the crazy rollercoaster with me half the time."

Paige softly laughs at what Alex just said.

"We've been through our ups, our downs, and even some loops, but in the end we've made it to the end together. I vow to spend the rest of my life protecting you, supporting you, listening to you, making you laugh, and most of all loving you. I vow that every single time my heart beats it'll be beating for you until the very last one."

The last part came out as a whisper because I think Alex is just so overcome with emotion she can't speak. Alex hands the microphone back to Minister Jones and takes Paige's hands into hers again.

"And now time for the exchanging of the rings," Minister Jones announces. "Wedding rings are made precious by our wearing them. Your rings say that even in your uniqueness you have chosen to be bound together. Let these rings also be a sign that love has substance as well as soul, a present as well as a past, and that, despite its occasional sorrows, love is a circle of happiness, wonder, and delight. May these rings remind you always of the vows you have taken here today."

Minister Jones turns and looks at Paige. Paige turns around and Hazel hands her the ring. Minister Jones nods her head, telling Paige to begin.

"I, Paige, give you, Alex, this ring as a symbol of my love and faithfulness," Paige says while sliding the ring onto Alex's finger. "As I place it on your finger, I commit my heart and soul to you. I ask you to wear this ring as a reminder of the vows we have spoken today, our wedding day."

Alex has a huge smile on her face as she stares at the ring. Minister Jones clears her throat and Alex looks up suddenly.

"Oh yeah," Alex says, as if she's just now remembering that she's in the middle of a wedding ceremony.

Alex turns around and Jay hands her the ring. Alex turns back around and smiles at Paige. Alex takes Paige's left hand and begins sliding it down her finger.

"I, Alex, give you, Paige, this ring as a symbol of my love for you," Alex says while sliding the ring down Paige's finger. "Let it be a reminder that I am always by your side and that I will always be a faithful partner to you."

Paige is wearing a huge grin on her face. A grin so huge and bright that if it was night right now this whole place would be lit up.

"Paige and Alexandra you have given and pledged your promises to each other, and have declared your everlasting love by exchanging the rings," Minister Jones says. "Your vows may have been spoken in minutes, but your promises to each other will last until your last breath. By the power vested in me by the province of Ontario, I now pronounce beloved wives. You many now kiss."

In, what seems like a flash, Alex and Paige share their first kiss as a married couple. The garden explodes into sounds of clapping and applause. The newlyweds separate from each other, smile, and now they're kissing again. Paige has her arms wrapped around Alex's neck while Alex has her arms wrapped around Paige's waist. Ok this kissing is turning into something serious.

"Jay, stop them before this turns into an R-rated wedding," I tell Jay.

Jay taps Alex on the shoulder. Alex turns around.

"Jay, can you tell I'm making out with my **wife**?" Alex asks, sounding slightly annoyed.

"Yeah well Alex not everyone wants to see this make out turn into something more serious," Jay tell her.

Alex turns back and around and her and Paige share one last kiss. They're both wear huge goofy grins on their faces.

"Ladies and gentlemen, family and friends," Minister Jones starts. "I present to you Mrs. Paige Michalchuk-Nuñez and Mrs. Alexandra Nuñez-Michalchuk!"

Everyone stands up from their seats and the explosion of applause begins once again. Alex and Paige take each other's hands and begin walking down the aisle as everyone begins blowing bubbles. Jay and Hazel walk behind them, Beth and I behind them, and last but not least Ellie and Marco.

Ladies and gentlemen, we officially have Palex, until death does them apart.

* * *

**A/N: Below are the links to the dresses and rings if you wanted actual visuals. Also remember that i had to put spaces in so the links would actually show up here.**

**Alex's dress:http:/ gothicweddingdresses . webs . com / apps / webstore / products / show / 1319296**

**Paige's dress: http:/ www . oscardelarenta . com / ? folderId = / collections / bridal / spring2011 # lookId = 3 &**

**Bridesmaids' dress: http:/ www . davidsbridal . com / Product _ Strapless - Chiffon - Short - Dress - F12284 _ Bridal - Party - Bridesmaids - Shop - By - Color (pick the clover option)**

**Alex's ring: http:/ www . zales . com / product / index . jsp ? productId = 3807202**

**Paige's ring: http:/ www . zales . com / product / index . jsp ? productId = 3807199**


	72. Not the End, Just the Beginning

**A/N: Wow, we finally made it. I didn't plan on this story being this long but it ended up being this long. This story has like almost triple the amount of chapters than my last story but I finished it in a shorter period than the last one. So I would like to thank everyone who stuck with me this whole time. Shout outs to Scrabbles, Elly1212 , degrassi1son , EVERYONE who read this story chapter after chapter. It took awhile to get here but we did it. =)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi or it's characters and I do not own the lyrics to _My Girl  
_**

* * *

"Ladies and gentlemen I present to you for the first time anywhere as beloved wives, Mrs. Paige Michalchuk-Nuñez and Mrs. Alexandra Nuñez-Michalchuk!"

Paige and Alex walk into the ballroom and the room explodes with applause and cheers. I don't think I've ever seen Palex this happy before. The newlywed couple is wearing huge grins on their faces, the type of grins that are going to stay on their faces no matter what.  
The bridal parties are standing on opposite sides of the dance floor clapping as Palex makes their huge entrance. Alex and Paige reach the center of the dance floor

"And now for their first dance," the MC says.

The lights dim and a spotlight shine down on Palex. Matt Nathanson walks onto the stage with a guitar in hand. I hear people gasp, including Paige. Paige looks at Matt and then at Alex. Alex is just smiling at her. See, Alex and I decided to take the music into our own hands. I made some calls, well a lot of calls and for a good fee we got Matt Nathanson.

"This song goes out to the newlyweds," Matt says. "You both look beautiful in your wedding dresses."

The drums start and then Matt starts strumming his guitar. He begins playing and singing "_Wedding Dress_" an oldie, but a goody and definitely fits this dance right now. Palex is swaying back in forth right now, dancing. Alex has her left arm around Paige's waist and her right hand in Paige's left hand while Paige has her left arm around Alex's shoulders. Alex is holding their hands against her heart. I definitely feel the tears coming right now.

Alex is singing along to the words while Paige is smiling at her. I look at my own wife and take her hand in mine. Beth smiles at me and I smile back. We look back at the happy couple sharing their first dance together. The song and the sight of these two dancing is pretty much bringing everyone to tears. It's so beautiful and so amazing to know that after everything they're been through Paige and Alex made it out together.

The song ends and Paige and Alex share a kiss while everyone else is clapping. Matt Nathanson bows and walks off the stage. Don't worry, he'll be coming back after the cake cutting. Roger and Brian onto the dance floor with microphones in their hands. They walk up to the newlyweds with Roger on Alex's side and Brian on Paige's side.

"There's nothing like having a wonderful wedding and reception on a wonderful spring day," Roger says.

"That's right!" Brian agrees. "Once agree I'm on a dance floor giving a speech. For some reason my daughters feel the need to get married."

The audience laughs.

"As most of you know my wife and I officially adopted Alex about three years ago but the first time we met her we had already accepted her into the family," Brian says. "I remember the day Jordan told me that Alex and Paige were dating and I thought what any father of his daughter best friend would think, number one would this mean that I would be seeing less of Alex because if so I would deeply be saddened because Alex tells AMAZING jokes."

Cue tiny laughter from the audience. I didn't know my father thought Alex was so hilarious.

"And number two, was Paige going to treat Alex right? Was she going to bring Alex the happiness she deserved? I'm glad to say I had nothing to worry about."

"All any father wants is to see his children happy," Roger says. "It had always been my dream and goal to make sure that both my children grew up happy and well. The day Alex came to my wife and I to ask for our permission for Paige's hand in marriage I knew my dream was about to become a reality. I stand here before you as a proud and happy father and I am happy to say that that dream has become a reality."

"On behalf of the Johnson clan I'd like to thank all of you for coming as we welcome Paige into the Johnson family," Brian says while putting his arm around Paige.

"And I am VERY happy to welcome Alex into the Michalchuk family," Roger says while placing his arm around Alex.

Brian hugs Paige while Roger hugs Alex and everyone is clapping. Brian and Paige separate and so do Roger and Alex.

"Let the party begin!" Brian and Roger announce

Palex and the bridal parties walk to the table and we all take our respective seats. Palex is sitting in the middle of course; sitting next to Alex is Jay, then me, Ellie, and then our parents and Major. On Paige's side are Hazel, Beth, Marco, Dylan, and then her parents. There's a glass of champagne sitting in front of each of us.

"Everyone please raise your glass," MC says. Everyone raises their glasses into the air. "To the newlyweds, may your marriage be full of happiness."

"Cheers!" everyone says.

Alex and Paige intertwine their arms and drink their champagne.

"Ladies and gentlemen, dinner will now be served," MC announces. The two beautiful brides will first get their food, then the bridal parties, and then everyone else."

Yum! FOOD TIME!

**Later:**

I hate to admit this but I will the food at this reception is tastier than the food at my wedding. This food tastes like it was made in heaven. I want to get more but I don't want to seem like a fatty. Besides, I need to save room for cake.

"Ladies and gentlemen please give your attention to the best man, Jay Hogart," the MC says.

Jay is standing up with a huge grin on his face and a microphone in his hand. I have to admit that although I am slightly afraid of what he's going to say I'm also quite looking forward to what this former bad boy is about to say.

"So I'm Alex's best man," Jay starts. "I've known Alex since we were aboot three years old. I remember meeting her at the playground that faithful day. A boy stole her candy bar and I was going to walk over there and teach this kid a lesson but then I saw something amazing. Alex balled up her little fist and punched the boy square in the face. The boy fell down and Alex took her candy bar out of his hands and walked away without looking back."

A few people whistle and I faintly her Brian say "That's my girl." I shake my head and laugh.

"After that day Alex and I became friends," Jay continues. "Some know the rest after that. I'll admit that I wasn't the biggest fan when Alex and Paige decided to date back in high school. It was high school and thinking as any high schooler would I thought Alex was making a big mistake. Alex was the girl from the other side of the tracks while Paige was the Queen-Bee. Alex was black while Paige was pink. Alex was angry and broody while Paige was happy and perky. These two were complete polar opposites but somehow they made it work.

"The marriage of these two has proved something to the world, no matter how much drama you go through, no matter how many angry moments you have, no matter how different you may be, no matter how many times you've given up yet tried again true love will always prevail." Jay looks at Palex. "To my best friend and her lovely wife, here's to your new rollercoaster ride."

Alex stands up and hugs Jay as everyone else claps. I must say that Jay did somewhat impress me. Good for him.

"And now Ms. Hazel Aden, Paige's maid of honor will say a few words," MC announces.

Hazel stands up with a microphone in her hand and a smile on her face.

"I've known Paige since grade school," Hazel says. "She was the girl that wasn't afraid to tell you if the outfit you were wearing that day was tacky."

Everyone is laughing. I can see in my head a seven year old Paige telling someone that.

"Paige and I have been best friends since then. I've seen her transform over the years into this amazing woman that I am so proud of. Now Alex and I haven't always been on the same page. Some might remember the notorious clothes fight we had in the mall that one time.

Alex starts chuckling and I laugh a little bit too because I remember having to pick up Alex that day and her telling me the ridiculous story.

"Like all best friends I didn't think Alex was good enough for Paige at first. But then I remember the day Paige pulled me aside and said 'Hazel, I **really **like Alex. I know she isn't exactly the type of person everyone thought I would date but when fate and destiny have a plan you have to follow it.' And I looked at her and asked 'You really think fate and destiny want you and Alex to be together?' and she responded with one word, yes.

"Paige, I'm so happy that you followed fate and destiny's plan. I'm happy that you went after the girl. But most of all I'm happy the girl went after you as well. I wish you two the very best because I know that fate and destiny plan for you two to live happily ever after."

Everyone begins to clap and Paige stands up and hugs Hazel. Hazel and Paige pull away from their embrace and Alex is actually standing up now. Hazel smiles and for what I think is the first time ever Hazel and Alex hug each other. Wow, I guess anything can happen at a wedding reception.

"And now ladies and gentlemen it is time to hear from Alex's maid of honor and sister, Jordan," MC announces.

I'm given the microphone as I stand up. I take a deep breath.

"A person once said to me 'The name is Alex Nuñez and you better watch where you're going next time.'"

The crowd laughs and so do Alex and Paige.

"Who would have thought that that same person would be the exact same person who would end up not only being my best friend but also my sister?" I ask the crowd. "I have seen Alex transform over these past nine years into someone who believed she could do anything she set her mind to. I've seen her transformed from an angry, scared, teenage girl into a powerful and brave woman. I've seen her transform from someone who thought she wasn't worth anything to someone who believes that she can do anything and everything. Now I would like to say that it was all because of my doing, but that would be incredibly false."

I turn to look at Palex and I point at Paige.

"This girl right here, this amazing and wonderful girl who is sitting next to my sister is the one to thank. She helped Alex see the potential she truly always had. Paige helped Alex see the life that was possibly." I turn back to the audience. "Not only did Paige help Alex but Alex also helped Paige. I saw Alex show Paige that the world isn't exactly black and white. I saw Alex show Paige that although the world insisted on labeling people she didn't have to label herself. I saw Alex help Paige grow into the person she is today. But what's most important is that I saw the love that grew between these two. I saw the love that neither one of them knew was there but they helped each other realize it. I witnessed all of this and more with a bag of popcorn usually by my side."

Everyone starts laughing and I laugh a little bit. I turn and look at Palex.

"I saw you two teach the whole world what love truly is. I saw you teach the whole world that no matter how many curveballs are thrown at you, no matter how many times you doubt yourself, no matter how many times you break up and get back together, no matter how much times passes your love for each other will always be there and you'll end up together no matter what. So I want to thank you two for the most interesting nine years I have ever experienced and thank you for always making my life entertaining."

And cue more laughter.

"But in all seriousness, I want to say that I love both of you and I know for the rest of your lives you'll keep showing me and the world the love that you two have for each other.

My speech is over and everyone is clapping. I can see both Alex and Paige tearing up. Alex stands up and has her arms open to me. I put my arms around Alex as we share a hug.

"As always your speech was amazing," she says.

"Only for you," I tell her.

Alex and I separate and I can see Paige standing up. Of course I pull Paige into a hug.

"Your speeches always tear me up Jordan," she says.

"Well now that you're a part of the Johnson family you'll start hearing more speeches that will make you reach for a handkerchief," I tell her.

Paige chuckles. "I look forward to them."

I take my place back at my seat. I look over at Palex and see them smiling at each other. They share a kiss, once again showing the whole world that their love was always unstoppable.

**Cake:**

"It is now time to cut the cake!" MC announces.

Palex walks over to the cake table while the photographer is following them taking pictures. Palex's wedding cake is beautiful. It's a four-tiered cake decorated with modern scrollwork and dozens of tiny butterflies. The black pattern looks like a road sort of and I remember Alex explaining to me earlier that the road is a symbol for the journey her and Paige have been on together and will continue together.

Someone hands Paige the huge cutting knife. Alex gently takes the knife away from Paige while she pouts. Yeah, let's just say that Alex doesn't really trust Paige with large sharp objects. Alex and Paige do a couple of photos with the knife in their hands. I wish they'd just cut the damn thing already. Paige rests her hands on top of Alex's and they slide the knife into the cake for the first cut. They cut the first piece and put in on a plate. Alex lays the knife down on the table. I see Major reaching to touch the knife but Brian quickly slaps his hand. All I can do is shake my head because although he's almost six he still feels the need to touch everything.

Alex lifts up the plate with the cake on it. Paige and Alex each take a fork and take a piece of cake. They pose for a picture, looking cute of course. They take their pieces of cake and feed them to each other as everyone claps.

"Major!" Brian yells.

Yeah, Major just took some frosting off the cake with his finger. It doesn't seem like he cares that he's in trouble though because his finger is still in his mouth and he's smiling. Palex look at him and they smile as well. Well once again, we know which side is Major's side of the cake.

**Later:**

I'm standing at the edge of the band's stage waiting for my cue. No one knows that I'm doing this except for the band, of course, and Brian. Brian said it'd be a nice gesture for the newlywed couple. Brian picked his favorite song, a song he thought would be very appropriate for this occasion.

"If everyone will direct their attention to the dance floor it is time for the two brides and their fathers to dance," MC announces.

That's my cue! I walk onto the stage with Alex walks to the dance floor with Brian and Paige walks to the dance floor with Roger. Palex looks up at the stage and a look of surprise appears on their faces. I smile at them and nod at the band. The bass starts and then the guitar shortly follows.

_I've got sunshine__  
__On a cloudy day.__  
__When it's cold outside,__  
__I've got the month of April_

Yeah, Brian thought it'd only be right to change the month since this wedding is actually in April and not May.

_Well, I guess you'll say__  
__What can make me feel this way?__  
__My girl. (My girl, my girl)__  
__Talkin' 'bout my girl. (My girl)_

Both Brian and Roger are singing along with the song, singing to their daughters. Alex and Paige are both wearing huge smiles on their faces. I guess Roger has decided to get fancy as he dips Paige.

_I've got so much honey__  
__The bees envy me.__  
__I've got a sweeter song_

_Than the birds in the trees._

_Well, I guess you'll say__  
__What can make me feel this way?__  
__My girl. (My girl, my girl)__  
__Talkin' 'bout my girl. (My girl)_

Brian and Roger both spin Alex and Paige and now Brian is dancing with Paige as Roger is dancing with Alex.

_Ooooh, Hoooo._

_Hey, hey, hey.__  
__Hey, hey, hey._

_I don't need no money,__  
__Fortune or fame.__  
__I've got all the riches, baby,__  
__One man can claim._

_Well, I guess you'll say__  
__What can make me feel this way?__  
__My girl. (My girl, my girl)__  
__Talkin' 'bout my girl. (My girl)_

_Talkin' bout my girl.__  
__I've got sushine on cloudy day__  
__With my girl.__  
__I've even got the month of April _

_With my girl._

The song ends and everyone is clapping. Each father hugs his new daughter-in-law and kisses her on the cheek. I step off the stage as Matt Nathanson makes his way back up. Matt starts playing a song as everyone makes their way to the dance floor. I walk over to Palex.

"Jordan, I didn't know you were going to sing," Paige says.

I shrug my shoulders. "Dad said it'd be a nice gesture," I tell her.

"Well thank you," she says and we hug.

Everyone is on the dance floor right now as Matt Nathanson is playing a mixture of his songs and some covers. Everyone is having a good time. Alex is dancing her ass off, and she's even doing some of her goofy dancing which has Paige laughing. I'm walking through the crowd and I see Manny sitting by herself watching everyone. I walk over to her.

"Hey," I greet her. "What are you doing sitting by yourself?" I ask.

Manny smiles at me. "Hey Jordan," she greets me.

She points out to the crowd and I follow where she's pointing at and there's Jay dancing with my wife. Umm… well if you can call it that. It's more like him failing his arms everywhere and stepping on her feet.

"That's why," she says.

I laugh. "So your husband is destroying my wife's feet," I point out. "That's wonderful."

"Well it's a good thing I didn't marry Jay for his amazing dancing skills," Manny says while laughing.

A waiter with a tray of champagne walks up to us. "Champagne?" he asks.

I take a glass from the tray. "Thank you," I say.

Manny shakes her head. "No thank you," she says.

I look at Manny. It's not that she's an alcoholic but usually people drink champagne at a wedding. I'm starting to notice that she doesn't look slightly different, like she's glowing or something. And she has like two empty dinner plates and three empty cake plates in front of her. Wow, someone must have been really hungry.

"No champagne?" I ask her.

Manny shakes her head. "Not really in the mood for drinking right now," she tells me.

I nod my head, understanding. Jay is walking over to us and he looks winded.

"Whew!" he says. "Did you see me babe?" he asks Manny. "I was tearing up the dance floor."

"You were tearing up something alright," Manny says and smiles.

Jay smiles back at her and kiss her. I notice his hand is lingering on her stomach. Oh my God!

"You guys are pregnant?"

Jay and Manny quickly separate and look at me with wide eyes. What the- Jay has his hand over my mouth.

"Jordan, sh!" he says.

I push him off of me. "Don't you ever put your hand on my mouth ever again," I tell him. "Ew."

"Jordan," Manny starts. "What would make you think I'm pregnant?"

"Hmm, well you have a ton of empty plates in front of you, you're not drinking champagne, you're glowing, Jay's hand lingered on your stomach just a little too long, and your husband just put his hand over my mouth, so I'm gonna go ahead and guess that you're pregnant," I tell her.

"Jordan you **cannot **tell anyone," Manny says. "Especially today. If word got out then Paige would kill me for stealing her spot light. Remember high school?"

Oh yeah, memories from high school are starting to come back to me. I look back at the couple. Manny is looking at me with intense eyes while Jay's whole focus is on Manny.

"How far along are you?" I ask.

"Ten weeks," Manny answers.

"Ok, I won't tell," I tell them. Manny lets out a breath of relief. "But congratulations."

"Thanks," Jay says and hugs me.

I walk away from the happy couple to go looking for my other half. I find Beth on the dance floor dancing with Major. I tap Major on the shoulder.

"Can I cut in?" I ask.

"Do you have to?" he asks.

Oh this little boy is a trip. "I'm pretty sure Mommy would like to dance with you," I tell him.

Major groans. "Fine," he says and walks off.

I take Beth's hand into mine and I place my arm around her waist.

"Should I be worried that my brother didn't want to give up dancing with you?" I ask.

Beth shrugs her shoulders. "Johnsons love me," she says and smiles.

"This one certainly does." I tell her as I lean in and kiss her.

"So this turned out being a pretty awesome wedding," Beth says.

"Yeah, well after more than a year of planning and stress it should be amazingly awesome," I tell her.

"You're pretty proud of yourself right now aren't you?"

"What would make you say that?"

"Because you're wearing that infamous Jordan "look at what I did" smile of yours."

"Well I mean if you think about it if it wasn't for me none of this would have happened. I mean I was the one that got these two together and after years and years of drama and what not I got them back together and helped this wedding becomes a reality."

"Once again you've decided to take credit for everything," a voice behind me says.

Beth and I stop dancing and I turn around. And there's the happy couple standing in front of me.

"Hon if it wasn't for Alex and me this," Paige says while pointing at Beth and me. "Would have never happened."

"Well more like if it wasn't for me because I'm the one who told her to get off her ass that summer and get Beth back," Alex says.

Paige crosses her arms and looks at Alex.

"I mean, it was because of both of us dear," Alex says quickly and smiles at Paige.

Wow, haven't even been married for a whole day and Paige already has the wife look down and has Alex whipped.

"Hey, what are we talking aboot?" Marco suddenly appears with Dylan by his side.

"We're talking about how I'm the whole reason this wedding even happened," I tell him. Dylan scoffs and I look at him. "You got something to say Dylan? I mean I know you're not about to say you had some part in this when you weren't even here the majority of the time."

"Well I am Paige's brother and I might have given her some brotherly advice from time to time," he says.

I roll my eyes. Dylan can be ridiculous sometimes. I mean he was it Switzerland or Sweden or whatever for like four years.

"I'm Paige's best friend," Marco says.

"Uh actually I'm Paige's best friend," Hazel says. Where the hell did she come from?

"Number one," I start. "Marco you didn't even know what was going on between these two before Paige told you Alex kissed her that day in Media Immersion. Number two, Hazel no one even knows where the hell you've been for the past seven years and you weren't even ok at first when Paige and Alex had started dating back in high school."

"Hey, what's going on?" Jay asks.

So apparently everyone can just randomly appear out of nowhere now! Does everyone have this magical super power because if so maybe I need to eat or drink whatever they're having. Manny is standing right beside Jay.

"We're trying to figure out who made this whole wedding possible," Marco says. "Jordan of course it trying to take credit for it, like she always does."

"What?" Jay exclaims. "Obviously if it wasn't for me these two wouldn't be together."

Everyone in the group turns their heads and look at Jay as if he's crazy, which he is.

"You've just spent the past five years in L.A.!" Marco exclaims.

"Yeah but I called every now and then," he says.

Ok, this madness has to end.

"Ok this whole thing happened because of me," I tell everyone. "I'm the one who told Alex to get Paige hired and then rehired at the movie theater. I'm the one who helped BOTH of them come to terms with their sexuality."

"Uh, I helped Paige too," Dylan interrupts me.

"Shut up," I tell him and continue. "I'm the one who came up with the plan for Alex and me to destroy Paige's date with that Brad dude that one night."

Oops! Paige's eyes just widen and she's looking at me and then Alex and then back at me. Word vomit is a horrible thing.

"You two?" she exclaims. "You two were the ones who were throwing the ice, popcorn, and candy at me?"

Alex is looking at me with narrowed eyes. "Nice going Jordan," she says. She looks back at Paige. "I did it in the name of love," she tells her.

Paige sighs. "Oh Alex, you're so lucky I married you and I'm high off of the wedding right now," she says.

"Anyway!" I interrupt. "I'm the one who spent the past nine years of my life dealing with these two and their ups and downs and loop-da-loops and all that mess. And I'm the one who came up with the couple name."

"Because you called dips on it first!" Marco exclaims.

"Marco, come on now, you're acting like a child," I tell him.

"Ok ok!" Alex shouts. "It doesn't matter who is "responsible" for this." Alex looks at Paige with lovey dovey eyes. "All that matters is today I married the love of my life and that's all that will ever matter."

"Aw, Lexi," Paige says.

Ok so Paige has already forgiven her for ruining her date those many years ago. The happy couple is once again sharing a kiss. They pull away and smile at each other. Alex turns her head and looks at me.

"Now Jordan," she says. "What is this suppose to mean?" Alex is holding the necklace I gave her before the wedding.

I groan and shake my head at her. For someone who graduated at the top of her Physical Therapy class, Alex sure is slow sometimes. I walk over to Palex and move Paige so she's standing on Alex's right. I step back.

"So this whole time you haven't noticed what Paige has been wearing around her neck?" I ask Alex.

Alex looks at Paige's neck and it looks like a light bulb just went off in her head.

"Wow Paigey, you married a winner," Dylan says and gives Paige a thumbs up.

"Shut up Dylan," Paige says.

"Ok so you're wearing half a heart," I tell Paige. "And you're wearing half a heart," I tell Alex. "Now put those halves together to make it whole."

Alex and Paige both take off their necklaces and then attached them to the other.

"Palex," Alex says.

I nod my head. "Palex," I repeat. "No matter where the road may take you two, no matter what happens, you'll always be Palex."

Paige and Alex are smiling at each other. "Palex," they repeat to each other.

It doesn't matter how the story started, it doesn't even matter what happened in the middle, all that matters is the end. All that matter is that right now in this moment we're here celebrating the marriage of Paige and Alex a couple that took nine years in the making.

"I know that none of us have any glasses in our hands but I don't that really matters right now," I tell the group. "I'd just like to make a toast. It doesn't matter how they got here but they got here. After nine years they finally got here. To Paige and Alex. Palex."

"To Palex!" everyone else cheers.

This isn't the ending, it's only the beginning.

* * *

**A/N: So watcha think? Once again I'd like to thank you guys for being on this journey with me. It was a long and hard journey but in the end we got our Palex. I mentioned before that I have a surprise for you all. Well let's just say that depending on how many reviews I get on this chapter in the next 48 hours will determine when y'all get the surprise =) or I might just have to send the surprise only to ****Scrabbles and Elly1212 *shrugs shoulders* who knows =)**

******Palex's wedding cake: http:/ weddings . theknot . com / gallery / gallery_details . aspx ? gallery = 18 & page Index = 1&itemnumber = 14**


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